Eclipse
by Moonlight Destiny2
Summary: Serena is taken by the Negaverse and turned against everyone she loves. Will they be able to get her back before she does something she'd regret for the rest of her life? Or will she end up destroying everything she once fought for. *Complete*
1. Prologue

A.N: Hi everyone! This is an alternate reality fic based on the ultimate anime, Sailor Moon. I hope you enjoy! Anything written inside two *'s is a person's thoughts. If you have any comments, feel free to e-mail me at silverauras@hotmail.com or usagimamoru_sm@hotmail.com. I check the second address more frequently, so if you want a reply, e-mail me with that one.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. However, I do own this story and the ideas it contains, so I would be grateful if no one copied.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Prologue  
  
Serena Tsukino stood staring out at the lake before her. This was the third night of vacation for her and her family at the Peace Resort, famous for its hot springs and fine lodgings. The first day Serena had arrived at the resort she had gone exploring the surrounding forest immediately and had discovered the lake.  
  
Its large and peaceful waters rested in a small valley completely hidden from the resort. Rolling hills covered in trees and other types of vegetation stretched as far as she could see. The sky was clear and turning a light shade of orange, almost pink, from the setting sun.  
  
No one else was around and Serena's family was at the welcome party being held at the lodge. Serena didn't feel much like celebrating, even though it was her 18th birthday.  
  
Serena was still fairly short, but had become very beautiful since her body had matured. Her skin was smooth and pale looking and she was thin and curvy in all the right places. Her long legs were one of her best features besides her face. Thick lashes framed large blue eyes and soft full lips graced her features. Her long golden hair was fashioned into two buns on either side of her head which had long streamers of hair reaching to her ankles hanging from each. In short, Serena was flawless.  
  
She wore a pale pink kimono with white bunny designs scattered across the material. On her feet were black sandals with thin cross-over straps. She seemed like a mannequin. Never moving. Not even blinking.  
  
As she stood at the edge of the lake her mind wandered once again to Darien Chiba. It had been four years since the Negaverse had abducted him and erased his memories. For the first two years Tuxedo Mask, Darien's alter-ego, had appeared once in a while trying to defeat the Sailor Senshi and get the Imperium Silver Crystal. He had never succeeded. The last two years no one had seen him at all and Serena's friends had only recently been able to help her get over a deep depression.  
  
Serena pushed these thoughts out of her head. She loved Darien and she knew one day she would find him again. Taking a deep breath, Serena turned her face to the sunset, which was almost gone. * It's so beautiful here. Everything looks so beautiful, but I feel so…alone.* She sighed heavily.  
  
A small breeze came out of nowhere and caused her hair to billow out behind her. Tears came to her eyes as she heard music coming from the locket she carried everywhere. Her hands trembled as she drew the locket out and brought it to her heart. The locket was shaped like a golden star and the centre was open and glowing as a crescent moon inside spun around the centre. The sad beautiful notes of Moonlight Destiny filled the area around her. It took all she had to keep her tears at bay. The locket was from Tuxedo Mask.  
  
"Oh Darien." She whispered. "I'll find you soon my love. I know your close." Serena closed her eyes tightly and hung her head. It looked as if she were praying.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	2. Heartache

A.N: Hi! Anything in means it's a flashback. Hope you enjoy my second chapter.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Prince Endymion crept through the forest silently. It had been two years since he had last been on earth, and he knew it would be wise to stay cautious.  
  
There had been a war in the Negaverse caused by a group of rebel youma. Some of the beings had finally gotten sick of Queen Beryl's orders and had taken a stand. Of course, Beryl could have wiped them out on her own if she had tried, but instead she had gotten all of her still loyal followers to do it for her. Having her strongest remaining general and Endymion on her side, she had had a great advantage against the rebels. They had been completely wiped out, but not before taking a big chunk out of their opposition. It had taken a while to re-build the dark forces in the Negaverse, but after so long, they were finally back to their former glory. Now, Queen Beryl was ready to show the world that they belonged to her. She had sent Endymion to earth to find a suitable place to cross her army over and invade.  
  
After training with the last general and fighting in the war against the rebels, Endymion had changed. He had grown taller and was a lot more stronger then before. Despite this, he still had a lean figure. His black hair still hung into his eyes sometimes, but he no longer cared, or even noticed. By just glancing into his dark blue eyes you could see the cunning and knowledge he now had. He moved silently and with greater agility then you would expect from a man his size.  
  
As Endymion crept through the tree's, he heard some kind of music coming from somewhere ahead of him. *Odd. That tune sounds familiar.* Walking out into the open, he came upon a girl standing with her back to him at the edge of a lake. Curious as to what she was doing there at that time of night, he silently walked up and stood a foot in front of her.  
  
Her head was hanging and her eyes were closed as a locket played the familiar tune. She was beautiful. The rising moon shone in her hair, making it seem like silver flowing with gold, and her figure was perfect.  
  
Serena slightly lifted her face towards the moonlight, but didn't open her eyes. She lifted one hand to her cheek and wiped away a solitary tear. Prince Endymion was floored. *Could it really be…* Shocked, he stared at her intently. "Sailor Moon." He murmured.  
  
Serena's eyes flew open in surprise. "D…Darien?" She choked out. Fresh tears filled her eyes as realization hit her and reality came crashing into them both.  
  
"My name is Prince Endymion, and you will address me as such." He stated flatly. "It's been a while, Sailor Moon."  
  
"Darien, you still don't…" Serena broke off as she began to sob. Her locket fell from nerveless fingers as she covered her face with her hands.  
  
Endymion looked at her, shocked at her outburst. After a few seconds the shock faded to be replaced by disgust. "What kind of warrior cries? I thought you were supposed to be the 'champion' of justice?" He shook his head. "You've always been weak Sailor Moon. Queen Beryl will be pleased once I get rid of you." Drawing his sword, Endymion got ready to fight.  
  
Serena's hands dropped and she looked at Endymion helplessly. He wore elegant armour and a long cape. She vaguely remembered the outfit from the Silver Millennium. He had become more muscular and held his sword with experience. His black hair looked silky and his blue eyes stared into hers. Serena knew he was older, but couldn't help remembering him the same way a few years ago.  
  
"Darien." She trembled. "It's me, Serena. Please…you have to remember me!"  
  
"Enough games Sailor Moon." Endymion lifted his sword, ready to strike her. "Goodbye."  
  
"No!" She screamed. Her hand fastened on his wrist. Tears started to flow down her cheeks freely. "You don't mean that." Her fingers were cold and Endymion was surprised by her strength. "Please." She whispered. "Remember me. I love you Darien, please remember."  
  
"Like I said before, my name is Endymion. As for love…it doesn't exist. Of course, many weak warriors disillusion themselves into believing in utter nonsense. Even if love was real, I would never have anything but contempt for you."  
  
Serena drew her hand from his wrist as if she had been burned. She shook her head slowly as a small sob escaped her lips. Without warning, she turned and ran into the forest.  
  
Prince Endymion stood, shocked and confused. The tune from the locket snapped him out of is thoughts and he slowly put his sword away. He picked it up and watched the crescent moon as his fingers brushed against the swirling piece of gold. His vision blurred, and suddenly he was looking at something else entirely.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"You must leave Endy. It's too dangerous here. Everyone from earth is considered dangerous. Even you." The small girl in his arms bravely forced back the tears, hugging him tighter. "Please…I couldn't bare it if you-" She was cut off as he lifted her chin and leaned down, gently kissing her lips.  
  
"Shh." He whispered. "It's alright Serenity. Don't worry about me." He pulled her closer in his arms. "I'll never leave you. I love you."  
  
The first scene faded and was replaced by a second.  
  
He laughed at the sight the young girl made. She was sprawled on the sidewalk rubbing her head and groaning in pain.  
  
"Haven't you learned to walk yet Meatball Head?" He chuckled.  
  
Serena glared at him and slowly got to her feet. "My name is Serena. Don't you have anyone else to annoy?" Her face was red as she glared up at him.  
  
"Come on Meatball Head, you know you're my favourite victim." He teased. If she had been paying closer attention, she would've caught the affection evident in his voice and the love in his eyes.  
  
After the second scene, a third began to form.  
  
"Watch out!" Sailor Moon screamed. "No!" She rushed to the fallen man and pulled him into her lap. "Tuxedo Mask!" Tears fell from her panicked eyes.  
  
"It's up to you now to get the crystals." He said, his voice filled with pain. Sailor Moon nodded. Raising a hand as if to touch her, he stopped and his eyes saddened. "And…I want you to know that I've always been on your side and always will be." His hand dropped back to his side and he began to lose consciousness.  
  
Sailor Moon clutched him tighter to her. "Tuxedo Mask no please don't go." She whispered. He wanted to stay conscious, to tell her he loved her, but as the darkness crept in, he knew it couldn't be.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Endymion shook his head, trying to clear away the visions. *Where did that come from?* He looked at the locket. *It was…something from my past. She was in all three memories.* He looked into the woods. *I have to find her. I have to know what's going on.* Without fully understanding why, he started after the girl.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	3. A New Beginning

A.N: The following contains mature subject matter. Reader discretion is advised. (^_^) @~~ (^_^) means there is a change of scenes. Please read and review (  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Serena ran as fast as she could. Blinded by tears, she stumbled and tripped over roots and small rocks. Finally, no longer having the energy to continue, she came to a large boulder in a small clearing and leaned against it as she cried. Her kimono had torn on bushes and branches and was soiled in places where she had fallen. Her arms and legs were slightly scratched up, leaving angry red marks on her pale skin. Dirt was smudged all over her from head to foot and somewhere along the way she had lost a sandal.  
  
Frustrated, she tore off the remaining sandal and threw it into the darkness surrounding her. Streaks ran down her cheeks, marking the path of her tears. Serena closed her eyes and sighed warily. Her hands came up to clasp her locket and she opened her eyes in horror as she learned it was missing. The only reminder she owned of Darien was gone. Fresh tears filled her eyes and she wiped at them furiously. Suddenly, her Senshi training kicked in and she was aware of someone watching her. She froze and stared in the direction her instincts told her to look.  
  
Prince Endymion stepped out of the shadows and slowly walked towards Serena. He handed her the locket and ran his fingers through his hair, more out of habit then nervousness.  
  
"You should learn to be more careful, Sailor Moon." Curiosity gnawed at him. "Or should I call you by one of the other names? Serenity? Serena? Perhaps Meatball Head?" He looked her over in disapproval. "I guess right now it's Serena."  
  
"Yes." She whispered. *He's playing with me. Why does he have to be so cruel?* Serena looked away in an attempt to hide the pain in her eyes. Compulsively, Endymion reached out and placed a hand under her chin, turning her face to his.  
  
He stared at her. She was pressed against the rock, seemingly trying to push herself into it. Her hair had come loose and a few strands were hanging in her face. Looking into her eyes, he brushed away her loose strands of hair behind her ears. Memories began to surface, and all of a sudden Endymion's armour disappeared and Darien stood in normal street clothes.  
  
"Serena." He whispered, leaning his face closer to hers. *Still so beautiful.* He thought.  
  
Serena stared at him. A tentative hand reached up and she traced her fingers along his jaw line. "Darien…do you remember?" She asked hopefully.  
  
"I…I'm beginning to." As she looked into his eyes, she could see the confusion fade away and realization surface. Abruptly, Darien turned from Serena. "What have I done?" He asked in a shaky voice, remembering all the times he had tried to hurt her. All the times he had broken her heart. "I'm sorry Serena. I'm so, so sorry." His voice cracked and he hung his head in shame.  
  
Serena grabbed his arm and turned him to her, then pressed her lips against his own. Surprised that he didn't pull away, not that he responded either, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer.  
  
His hands traveled down her back, caressing her lightly. He took his lips off hers, to her disappointment, but started trailing butterfly kisses down her face and onto her neck. Getting tired of having to bend down so much, he lifted her up and pushed her body against the boulder so she was eye level with him and had her legs wrapped around his waist.  
  
He continued to kiss down her neck until he found a spot he liked on her collarbone. Serena moaned when she felt his tongue against her skin and held him tighter. She ran her hands through his hair and gently kissed his forehead.  
  
Darien moved up from her neck and kissed her gently on the lips, then lay a few more butterfly kisses on her face. Moving back to her lips, he urged her mouth open with his tongue. He kissed her deeply, for the first time, and shivers ran down her spine.  
  
Pulling away, Darien looked deeply into her eyes. "I love you Serena." He murmured.  
  
"Oh Darien. I love you too." Serena kissed him again, this time urging his lips apart. She kissed him passionately, ready to show how much she loved him.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Above the forest, Malachite watched the scene before him unfold. His grey eyes narrowed in disgust and strands of silver hair blew around his face. He folded his arms across his chest and frowned. *Just great. Watch Queen Beryl blame me for this too.* He smirked as his thoughts wandered. *Well she won't be too mad when I get what we've been after.* Slowly, a hazy blue smoke surrounded him and he disappeared.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Lita bit her lip nervously as she looked around the resort gardens. "Where do you think she went? Her family said they haven't seen her for a long time." She scanned the area with her brilliant green eyes, chewing on one of the loose strands of her chestnut brown hair that was always left out of her usual ponytail.  
  
"I don't know Lita." Rei shook her head as she looked around at the group, making her long black, thigh length hair swish behind her. Her violet eyes seemed to focus on nothing in particular. "Whatever she came out here for I'm sure she would have come back hours ago. Her family hasn't seen her since 3:00 and it's going on 10:30 now. Probably got herself into trouble again."  
  
Rei, Lita, Amy, and Mina had driven to the resort in Amy's new car. It was a present from her grandmother almost half a year ago. They had come down to give Serena her birthday presents and take her out for some fun, but when they had arrived Serena was gone. After looking everywhere they could think of and not finding her, they had gathered in the gardens to figure out what to do next.  
  
Lita and Rei were impatiently pacing in front of Mina and Amy, who sat on a small stone bench. To the side of the bench, a stack of presents sat in a bag.  
  
Amy, who had decided to see if she could find anything on her Mercury computer, blinked shockingly bright blue eyes in surprise as it started beeping. Amy smiled and ran a hand through her short cropped bluish-black hair in relief. Rei and Lita jumped from the sudden noise and stopped in their tracks.  
  
"What did you find Amy?" Mina moved closer to Amy and looked at the small screen. Her long blonde hair, as long as Rei's, fell over her shoulders but stayed out of her face thanks to a red bow she always wore to tie up the sides. Her blue eyes were pale compared to Amy's. When they were younger, people had often thought that Mina and Serena could be twins, but as they had grown it became evident how different they actually were. Mina was more the beach beauty type well Serena had a moon goddess look. They had both had a good laugh over that comparison, which had been stated one day by Andrew well they played Sailor V.  
  
Amy's smile faded. "I have a signal on someone or something from the Negaverse. It's patchy, but it may be a lead." Amy turned to Rei. "If Serena is in trouble, she'll be near the signal. Either way, the Sailor Senshi are needed." Standing up, Amy crossed to where Lita stood "Lita I want you to do something."  
  
"Sure Amy. What's up?"  
  
Amy pulled out her car keys and handed them to Lita. "I want you to look for Serena in town. Maybe she went home or to the arcade."  
  
"Are you kidding?!" Lita yelled. "You want me to miss out on the action well you go kick some nega-scum butt? No way!"  
  
"Please Lita?" Amy shook her head and looked imploringly at her friend. "What if we're wrong and she isn't near the enemy? If she isn't, and we confront it, we may need Sailor Moon!"  
  
Lita crossed her arms and scowled at Amy. "Why does it have to be me who goes?"  
  
"I need to go because I'm the only one who can pinpoint its location. Rei can use her psychic powers to see if she can sense Serena or more dangers nearby and Mina is the only one who could help her if this creep has her. If any of us tried, she'd be caught in the blast as well." Amy grabbed Lita's arm in a subtle begging gesture. "Please Lita, if anyone could find her in time if she isn't there it's you."  
  
Lita sighed and chewed on a strand of hair. Grudgingly, she nodded in defeat. "I'll go, but I'm not happy about it."  
  
Rei smiled at Lita. "You're doing the right thing. I have a feeling it's important you join us later."  
  
Mina put a hand on her shoulder and winked. "If you hurry we'll leave some fight in this scum-bag for you!"  
  
"We'll be headed to the west of the forest behind the gardens." Informed Amy. "You better take the gifts too."  
  
Lita smiled and nodded her head. "Well, see you later." She turned and ran to Amy's car, gifts in tow.  
  
Looking at the remaining two girls, Amy put her Mercury computer away. "All right the trace is locked. We just have to follow the beeps. Better transform girls."  
  
Rei nodded and lifted her henshin wand into the air, followed by the other two girls.  
  
"Mars power!"  
  
"Mercury power!"  
  
"Venus power!"  
  
The girls soon finished transforming. "Let's go." Sailor Mercury said as she ran towards the signal with Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus close behind.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	4. Surprise, surprise!

A.N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been really busy lately and I haven't even had time to go on the computer until recently. I should be updating more frequently now. Enjoy!  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Chapter 3  
  
The halls of the Dark Kingdom were silent except for the clicking of the general's boots on the cold stone. Rounding a bend in the hall, he slowed as he reached his room door. After taking the magic lock off the door, he walked in and crossed to his dresser.  
  
"You don't know what's in store for you Sailor Moon." Malachite smiled as he lifted a silvery dagger off of the dresser. A red aura crept across the length of the blade, making the sun shaped black stone in its handle glint eerily.  
  
In a flash of blue, Malachite vanished and headed towards where he knew Sailor Moon would be.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Sailor Mercury stopped dead in her tracks, almost causing Mars and Venus to run into her. "What's the deal Mercury? Couldn't you have at least warned us you were gonna stop?" Sailor Venus panted.  
  
Mars nodded. "No kidding! That could've really hurt."  
  
Mercury shook her head. "I doubt bumping into each other would have hurt us very much Sailor Mars."  
  
"I was talking about what I would've done to you if we had!" Mars glared. Venus began to giggle as Mercury rolled her eyes.  
  
"Sorry guys." She said as she calmly took out her computer.  
  
"Well? What's wrong?" asked Mars. Mercury tapped at her computer for a minute and then nodded in satisfaction as she started to walk forward again.  
  
"Whatever we're tracking should be right ahead." She answered over her shoulder.  
  
They walked in silence towards the break in the trees that now appeared before them. As they stepped into the clearing, they couldn't help but give startled gasps at what they saw. Directly in front of them was Serena…kissing someone. They couldn't see who it was because his back was to them, but obviously it was someone Serena really liked.  
  
The first one to find her voice was Sailor Venus. "Serena?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Umm…what's going on?" Abruptly, Serena let go of the man and turned bright red. Getting over her shock, she looked at her friends in wonder.  
  
"Umm…What are you doing here, guys?"  
  
"We could ask you the same thing!" Mars replied heatedly. "We thought you might be in danger, but instead we find you making out with…with…" She broke off as the person with Serena turned to face them.  
  
"Darien!" Mercury whispered. "Serena, you must get away from him. He's dangerous!"  
  
Serena shook her head and placed her hand in Darien's. "No, it's okay guys. He has his memories back. He's no longer under Beryl's control."  
  
Everybody flinched involuntarily as Mercury's computer started to beep. "Someone's coming." Mercury tapped a few keys then turned panicked eyes to Serena. "It's Malachite! He's-"  
  
"Right behind you." Serena turned to the sound of Malachite's voice. He stepped out from behind the boulder which Serena had been leaning against earlier and walked towards the couple. He stopped a foot in front of her and smiled evilly. "Sailor Moon."  
  
Darien stepped towards Malachite threateningly. "What do you want?" He hissed.  
  
"This doesn't concern you." Malachite thrust his hand out and released a blast that sent Darien flying backwards into the Sailor Senshi. "Stay out of it." He brought his other hand up and sent out a wave of black energy that formed into a shield, trapping everyone but Serena.  
  
"Coward!" Mars yelled as she pounded on the shield. "Leave her alone!"  
  
Malachite looked at Mars and narrowed his eyes. "You won't get out of there from the inside. It's impossible." He turned back to Serena. "Now to get who we were really after all those years ago."  
  
Serena stood and held her head up defiantly. "Oh really? And who was it you were after?"  
  
"Why don't you know yet?" He smiled teasingly.  
  
Sailor Mars watched what was going on in confusion and a growing sense of dread. Why hadn't she sensed Malachite coming? She was distracted by some kind of light glinting of something metal. Something Malachite was partly hiding beneath his cloak. Suddenly, she realized what was going to happen. Desperately she called out to her friend in warning. The words had barely gotten out when Serena screamed in pain and clutched at the dagger Malachite had buried to the hilt in her stomach.  
  
He watched in fascination as her eyes widened and she began to sway weakly, trying to stay standing. He withdrew the dagger slowly, letting the magic it held absorb into her. Putting his arm around her waist, he pulled her against him and whispered into her ear. "Silly Senshi, we were after you."  
  
"No! What have you done?" Darien sank to his knees in shock.  
  
Malachite picked up a now unconscious Serena and turned to him. He looked Darien in the eye, feeding of his torment. "You'll find out soon." He laughed as Darien banged uselessly on the force field. "You know something," Malachite grinned, "she's much prettier then Zoisite." Just to make sure Darien suffered more, he leaned over Serena's limp body and kissed her as he disappeared in a flash of blue.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	5. Serena is who?

Serena opened her eyes groggily. It was too dark to see where she was, so cautiously, she started to get up. There was a sharp pain in her stomach and something warm trickled over her skin, but she ignored it. By running her hands over what she had been laying on, she could tell by the softness and material that it was someone's bed, so naturally she came to the conclusion that she was in a bedroom.  
  
Her thoughts scattered as someone opened a door and a piercing light forced her to shield her eyes. When the pain of the sudden brightness left she removed her hand and found she had a clear view of the room. The bed was a four post and had a thin transparent black curtain tied back from it, which matched its black blanket and white pillows and sheets. A table and some chairs and a dresser, all black, were the only other pieces of furniture in the room. Across from her was the open door of the bathroom and the door that led to the rest of wherever it was she was at was in front of her. She raised one of her perfectly arched eyebrows as she took in the sight. Whoever used this room sure didn't have much imagination, although she did like the colour scheme. Movement from the newly opened door caught her attention and she slowly turned to face her captor.  
  
"Feeling better Sailor Moon?" She could tell he was being sarcastic.  
  
"You destroyed Sailor Moon when you stabbed me with that blade. I can feel it." Sitting back on the bed, she watched Malachite move across the room towards her like a lioness would watch its prey.  
  
"Hmm." He sat at the bed's edge and studied the wall intently. "I suppose that's true. The dagger of Deiwos…destroyer of pure souls." He murmured, more to himself then to her.  
  
Serena stretched lazily. "How interesting." She pretended to look stunned by the information, but ruined it by smirking. Her expression turned bored. "Actually I could care less." She swung one leg over his lap so she was straddling him and placed both hands on his shoulders. "Whatever you did to me feels great. No more goody-two-shoes, huh?"  
  
"You don't know the half of it." Malachite replied as he effortlessly lifted her off of him and stood. "Queen Beryl wants to see you. I suggest you clean yourself up."  
  
Serena frowned at his disinterest in her, but nodded to show she had heard. "Give me a few minutes." She said heatedly as she glared up at him. "Shut the damn door on your way out." Malachite turned to hide his smirk and started towards the door.  
  
"You sure don't act like Sailor Moon, that much is obvious, but you still look like a childish brat." He got to the door just in time to avoid being hit by the pillow she threw, laughing as he left the room.  
  
She glared at the spot he had last been before standing and entering the bathroom. "We'll see about that." She turned on the light and looked into the mirror, cringing at the reflection of the dirty and dishevelled girl before her. "It's gonna take work, but next time you see me you'll be drooling."  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
"Stand Malachite." Queen Beryl ordered.  
  
"Yes my queen." He got off his knee and stood before her throne with his arms folded across his chest.  
  
"Is it done? Is she turned to the Negaverse?" Her voice seemed to become a low hum. It was the tone she used when she would condone no failure, almost like a warning of doom to those that displeased her.  
  
Malachite nodded. "She is."  
  
"Good. You're lucky you have not failed me. Again." Beryl frowned coldly as she glared down at him. "We wouldn't want you to share Jadeite and Zoisite's fate, would we?"  
  
Resisting the urge to say something he would later regret, Malachite lowered his head in a small bow. "No my queen."  
  
The conversation was interrupted as someone entered the throne room. Serena bowed to the queen and continued to where Malachite stood. He stared in shock at the transformation she had undergone.  
  
The now clean Serena stood beside Malachite, ignoring his staring. She had taken her hair out of its usual style and had instead fashioned it into tons of small braids and put it into a high ponytail, leaving two braids on each side of her face to hang free. Since the buns were gone, it just barely brushed the floor thanks to the ponytail and braids. She wore the grey uniform pants that the generals normally wore, but hers hugged her hips showing her slim waist, and a tight black tank top. Black boots were on her feet and she had a thick black choker on her neck. No makeup was on her face, except for her blood red lipstick, which completed her new look. All in all, she looked pretty hot and tempting.  
  
"I pledge my loyalty to Queen Beryl and the Negaverse." Her voice was low and seemed like a purr.  
  
"Ahh, You shall serve us well Sailor Moon." Queen Beryl replied.  
  
"Please, your majesty, Sailor Moon is gone. I prefer to be known as Rena." Beryl just smiled. They had indeed won her over to their side. Her choice to use neither of her true names proved it, showing she had no wish to cling in any way to her past.  
  
Malachite turned to the queen and cleared his throat. "My queen, should we not test her loyalty?"  
  
"What would you suggest we make her do, Malachite?" Beryl raised an eyebrow in question, intrigued with his idea.  
  
"I say we make her confront the Sailor Senshi."  
  
Rena placed a hand on her hip and smiled defiantly. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure."  
  
"Very well." Queen Beryl turned to Malachite. "You will go as well and report to me when you return. Now go!" She ordered.  
  
"Yes my queen." They answered simultaneously.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
"What are we going to do?" Sailor Jupiter asked. She had come across the scouts just as Malachite had left, and with several concentrated blasts, had managed to weaken the shield containing the others enough for them to get out. Luna and Artimis had been with her when Jupiter had shown up, so now all three were being told what happened.  
  
Luna looked at Mercury intently, trying to keep the fear out of her voice and eyes. "You say he used a blade? Did anyone see it?"  
  
Mars nodded her head. "I did. It was silver…and it had a strange red aura. There was also a black sun shaped stone in the hilt. The strange thing was…the aura was gone when he removed it from…" A lump formed in her throat and she knew she couldn't continue without crying.  
  
Luna immediately stood and turned to the other guardian. "Artimis!" Her voice was panicked and strained, frightening the group.  
  
"The dagger of Deiwos!" Artimis hissed. "That means she's turned."  
  
Luna hung her head and closed her eyes. "Serena's lost to us."  
  
"What are you two talking about?" Venus asked she sat weakly on a rotting log. "Serena would never turn her back on her Senshi no matter what."  
  
Artimis blinked up at her. "Not by choice, but this blade is magical. It's cursed."  
  
"Cursed?" Sailor Mercury sat down beside Venus and picked up Luna, seeing the feline needed comfort. "What do you mean?"  
  
Artimis sighed and sat at the groups feet. "Deiwos was an evil being that lived before the Silver Millennium. He was heartless and cruel, and was often described as a mindless drone because of his determination to destroy the people of the Moon Kingdom. He…" The cat paused, searching for a way to form his thoughts into words. "He consumed pure souls. The ones he did this to turned corrupt, killing and destroying everything around them. They were given new powers from Deiwos' magic, which were very strong and hard to beat. And because they still knew everything they had before the change, they remembered the palace's strategy and predicted our every move in the war that followed." Artimis paused again, his eyes focusing on some lost scene from his memory. "We had to fight against many of our own friends, in some cases, our own flesh and blood. The queen finally managed to get rid of Deiwos, but only by trapping him in the very dagger he used to trap his victims souls. The dagger used to have two stones on each side of the hilt. They made it possible to remove the souls so Deiwos could consume them. To make sure he could never find a way to escape, the queen removed one of the stones and destroyed it. Because it could still destroy pure souls, the blade was then buried on earth where no one would ever find it." He shook his head. "Apparently, someone has."  
  
"So how do we break the curse?" Mercury asked.  
  
Luna shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. The magic of that blade is strong and no one has ever been able to control it." A tear threatened to fall, but she blinked it away.  
  
Darien pushed away from the tree he had been leaning on and kneeled in front of Luna. "There has to be a way to help her!" His voice was desperate. "We can't just give up…I can't just give up! You know she would do all she could for any of us. Please Luna, if there's anything you're not telling us, tell us now."  
  
She was about to reply when a familiar laugh filled the area. Everybody turned as one as Malachite appeared in a blue shimmer only a few feet away. Gasps of shock were let out when Serena, or what looked like her, stepped out from behind him. Rena watched the group with barely contained disgust. Her eyes briefly stayed on Luna and Darien before scanning over the rest of the group. Deciding to play with her prey before killing them, she faked an expression of pain and let her eyes settle on Darien. He would be the easiest to trick.  
  
"Please…you have to help me!" She said in a choked voice, reaching her hand towards him. "Please Darien. Don't you love me anymore?" Darien quickly stood and took a step towards her, making it hard for her not to smile in satisfaction.  
  
"No Darien, it's a trap." Artimis calmly spoke as he looked into Serena's eyes, which he noticed had also changed like the rest of her. Instead of the crystal blue they had been, the were now a black-like red. He flinched when Rena turned and glared at him. Darien stopped and shook his head in denial, not wanting to believe Serena would play with him like that. Then he remembered he had used the same trick over and over on Sailor Moon when he was Endymion.  
  
Seeing she had been figured out, Rena shrugged and moved to the Senshi, smiled, and twirled gracefully. "What do ya think?" She struck a model pose and looked straight at Venus. "Pretty neat, huh? Not even I thought I could look this gorgeous!" The group stared at her in shock. She looked so different from the Serena they had known, yet none could deny that she did indeed look beautiful. Rena turned her gaze to Mars. "Did ya miss me?" She pretended to look desperate. "Cause I've been dying to see you again!" She laughed as she lifted her tank top enough so they could see the scar from the dagger. "Look I got proof." She giggled. Everyone looked horrified. This was definitely not the Serena they knew. She was playing with them, and they all knew it.  
  
Sailor Jupiter glared at Malachite. "You disgusting bastard!" She hissed through clenched teeth. "How could you do this to her?"  
  
"Gee…I wonder?" He teased. Sailor Mars stood and got into a battle stance.  
  
"We're not afraid to fight!" She growled.  
  
"Sorry," He smirked, "but I'm just an observer."  
  
Rena took this as her que and backed up to his side again, looking up at him with an excited smile on her face. "Now?"  
  
"Now." He replied. She nodded and turned back to the Senshi.  
  
"Get ready!" She giggled. She stood with her feet together and her right arm crossed over her chest well she raised her other into the air and raised her face to the sky. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the new power inside needed to make this work. "Solar Eclipse Power," She yelled as a wind came out of nowhere, circling around her feet, "Transform!"  
  
As she yelled the last word to complete her transformation, the wind rose from her feet and twirled around her body, making it hard to see her as her clothes disappeared and black ribbons wrapped around her. As suddenly as the wind started, it died. Rena now stood in a black gown down to her ankles, which looked like it was made from some kind of shiny plastic-like material. Tight fitting and strapless, it had a slit almost up to her hips on both side so she could move easily in a fight. Black boots laced up to her calves and a gold choker with a black sun-shaped stone was around her neck. A gold tiara was on her brow with a black stone in the centre and in her hands she held a black staff which was almost a duplicate of the time guardians' except for the black sun inside of the golden sphere instead of the garnet orb.  
  
Everyone stood, transfixed, as Rena lowered the staff to her side, resting its end on the ground. "I am Eclipse." She stated coldly. Her voice was once again that low purr. "I will destroy all good and triumph over my enemies." Malachite smirked as he noticed she was mimicking her old speech, just with a few changes. She pointed at the Senshi with her staff in both hands at her side. "And that means you." She finished, smiling.  
  
Darien stared in horror at his love. He couldn't find any of the Serena he had known. This must have been what it was like for her when he head been under Beryl's spell. He stood, confused as she turned her dark red eyes on him. "Serena I…" He choked on his words as she narrowed her eyes and stepped towards him. Everyone froze in place, not knowing what to expect. Eclipse stopped in front of him and placed her free hand behind his neck, pulling him down so he was eye level with her.  
  
"Sorry love, but Serena," she whispered, "no longer exists. She's dead." Eclipse paused, thinking of something, before focusing on him again. "And you are alone again it seems." She removed her hand and waited for his reply. She wanted to feel his pain, wanted to know she could hurt him as much as he had hurt her over the years.  
  
In a move that took everyone by surprise, Darien's arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her into a hug, pinning her arms to her side. Eclipse struggled to get away from him, but he just held tighter. "Get off of me!" She screamed.  
  
"Serena." He whispered. "It's my fault you're like this." Eclipse stopped struggling, knowing it was futile, but he tightened his hold anyway. A single tear fell and trailed down his cheek before falling to splash against the stone in her tiara. Eclipse's eyes flashed from her normal colour to the dark red they now were, growing wide as she looked up at him. In a flurry of ribbons, she was once again Rena. Everyone thought things would be okay now, but they were wrong. Darien had loosened her hold on her, enabling her to push him away. She slapped him across the face and turned to the Senshi.  
  
"Never!" She screamed. "I'll never come back to any of you!" She gritted her teeth and turned back to Darien. "I would rather die first. Although your deaths would do just as well." Her eyes flashed blue again and her expression softened. "Darien." As she whispered his name, her eyes once again turned dark and her expression hardened before she collapsed to the ground.  
  
Malachite warped behind her and picked her up. "Time to form a new plan." He said as he warped both him and Rena back to the Negaverse, leaving behind a bewildered and heartbroken group.  
  
Darien turned wounded eyes to Luna. "You said no one had ever controlled the power of the blade, but are you sure it's not possible?" Luna didn't reply. They had all seen Serena's eyes change, and all of them hoped it meant they still had a chance.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	6. The Curse

A.N: Hi! I haven't had time to update in a while, but I plan to have at least 3 new chapters out by Monday. This chapter may be a bit short, but I promise the next one will be longer. Well, the only other thing I have to say is PLEASE read and review my fic!! Its cool to know what people think of my pathetic attempt at writing!! Lol  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Chapter 5  
  
It had been a week since the confrontation between Rena and the scouts. The entire time, Serena had not moved or said one word. She was awake and aware of things around her, but seemed lost and unable to utter a sound. Her eyes had gone from their red colour to a dark, cloudy black.  
  
Malachite had taken her to his bed to rest and had watched over her. At first it hadn't been from choice, but an order from Beryl. She didn't want to lose her 'brand new warrior', after all. After the first few days, he had grown used to her, and had even began to care for her. She seemed to need him, and in a place where everyone couldn't wait to stab you in the back, the feeling of being needed was like a breath of fresh air. He had developed feelings for her, and he supposed it was because he was trying to fill the void Zoisites death had left. He didn't know why, but he had stayed by her side, talking to her and comforting her. She never answered, but sometimes tears would fall from her cheeks.  
  
Malachite sat with her now, watching her sleep. Her face would switch from harsh, cold features, to a look of sadness and longing. She was fighting an inner battle with herself. Trying to overpower the curse and control her mind once again. The only problem was, she was loosing. If she continued to fight, she'd lose more then her soul.  
  
His thoughts scattered as Serena opened her eyes. She looked at him and he felt a pang of sadness when he saw she had obviously lost the fight for her soul. "It's about time you woke up." He murmured.  
  
For the first time in a while, Serena moved and answered him. "Oh Malachite," her voice was as she slowly sat up and hugged him. "I've lost them." He hesitated before returning her hug. She looked up at him and her eyes started to water.  
  
Sensing she was about to cry, Malachite drew her closer and held her tighter, sharing silent comfort. *What the hell am I doing?* He shook the thought away as sobs began to wrack her body and tears rolled down her cheeks. Brushing her tears away, Malachite placed a finger over her lips, silencing her.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I've lost my identity! My memories, parts of me, they're gone and I know I had them once…but now…I can't remember anything but the day I came here"  
  
"Now's not the time to think about that."  
  
"You're right. We should be getting ready for Queen Beryl's next order's."  
  
Briefly, he wondered what she would do if she got her memories back after hurting her friends.  
  
"Malachite." He looked down at her as she whispered his name. Their faces were close and he could see the need in her eyes. She wanted to feel anything but alone.  
  
"Yeah?" In a swift move, Serena leaned up towards him and their lips met in a passionate kiss.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Mina looked at Darien and shook her head in sympathy. "There's nothing you could've done Darien. When Malachite came, we were all caught off guard."  
  
Amy moved over to sit beside him on the couch, placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling weakly. "It's been a week. We can't dwell on the problem, we need to find a solution."  
  
They had all gathered at Rei's temple to find a plan to save Serena. Rei was in the process of preparing for a fire reading and everyone fell silent as she began to chant to the fire spirit. The fire billowed skyward intensely, making all but Rei flinch. After a few moments, it died down and Rei opened her eyes.  
  
Darien watched as Rei turned and knew the news was bad. Small tears formed at the corners of her eyes, but she held them back angrily.  
  
"What did you see Rei?" Luna whispered hopefully.  
  
"I…" Rei suddenly broke down and started to cry. Lita rushed to her friend, not knowing what to do. This was the first time she had ever seen the priestess cry, and it disturbed her deeply. When Rei had calmed down enough to speak, she once again tried to tell what she'd seen. "Do you know if Serena has the Silver Imperium Crystal?"  
  
Luna shook her head negatively. "She left it when she went on vacation. She said she was determined to have a good time without being reminded that she had duties as a Senshi." Luna paused, but then started again, ridding herself of whatever thoughts she had had. "She didn't want to have anything to do with Sailor Moon."  
  
"Good." Artimis sighed. "At least the Negaverse won't get their hands on that kind of power."  
  
Amy turned to him and frowned in thought. "If Serena didn't have the crystal, how did she turn into a Senshi? More importantly, where did this Senshi come from? I mean, has she always existed?"  
  
"The curse of Deiwos is very strong." It was Rei who answered. "Serena was turned all backwards when Malachite used the blade, hating everything she once loved. Do you get what I'm saying?" She waited for them to nod that they understood before continuing. "Well, since Serena can turn backwards, so can her alter-ego. Sailor Moon was the champion of love and justice, so now Eclipse is the champion of hate and destruction. Eclipse has always existed, because all of us have a dark side, but until now, she hadn't had the chance to make herself known. Serena had always been repressing her, too pure to even acknowledge that she had a dark side." The group nodded in understanding once again. "There's no way we can help her. Not now."  
  
Darien looked at her sharply. "What?"  
  
"When people were cursed by Deiwos, they always had their magic within them, giving them a slim chance of breaking the spell. Serena however, didn't have the crystal, and so her magic doesn't have a focus point. If she can't focus on it, it's the same as not having it there at all. She could've battled the dark magic with her own pure magic, but its too late. The fire showed me she tried to fight it anyway, and because she had no focus point, she was totally defeated. There was a price for her for fighting without her magic. Slowly, it's destroying her. From the vibes I picked up in the fire reading…" Rei paused. "She's already lost her memory." There was silence as the group tried to digest this. "The curse is going to rip her apart. Serena's going to die and there's nothing we can do."  
  
Darien buried his head in his hands, his heart breaking. "Nothing?" He whispered.  
  
"Nothing." Rei began to cry again, falling into Lita's arms. This time, no one was able to utter comforting words since everyone was lost in their own sad thoughts.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	7. Dreams

A.N: This chapter deals with mature subject matter…but don't worry its only in the beginning. I know I haven't updated in a long time (I'm a horrible person), but I'll try and do so more frequently. I do have more then one story and the reason this one's been left dangling is because every time I went to write a new part, I got an idea for one of the other two fics. Sorry. I desperately need reviews for this one! It doesn't seem to be doing too good, which is why I let myself get sidetracked. Please review, even if you wanna say 'your story sucks horribly and I hate it'. (Although if you write that I'll probably cry!) Just joking. Anyway, on with the fic. Oh before I forget, major ooc. (Well duh, Serena's evil!) Sorry. Why do I keep saying sorry? I'm blabbing, sorry bout that. look I did it again! lol Okay, I'll shut up now.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Malachite ran his hands over Rena's body as she pressed closer to him and deepened the kiss. She brushed her fingers through his hair, revelling in the feeling of being in somebody's arms. A thought came to her that there was someone else she was supposed to love, but it disappeared just as quick as it came. Rena raised herself to her knees and placed her hands on Malachite's shoulders, never breaking the kiss, and slowly pushed him down on the bed.  
  
Her hands caressed his chest and she broke the kiss hesitantly, sudden confusion entering her mind. Caught up in the moment, Malachite put his arm around her waist and lay her on the bed beneath him as he propped up on one elbow. She looked into his eyes and then closed her own. His hand brushed her cheek and traced a path down her neck, causing her to shiver. He leaned down and she smiled as his lips brushed her neck, then her forehead, and finally her lips.  
  
Ignoring the feeling of guilt that rose in her, she started to unbutton his uniform top and removed it to reveal a tight fitting black undershirt. He was even more muscular then he had seemed. She slid her hands up his shirt and caressed his back, smiling at the feeling of his muscles moving beneath them. Malachite lowered his hand to her leg and began to run his hand up her thigh, but both were interrupted as the door to his room flew open and a creature came rushing in.  
  
Rena and Malachite shot up, the first blushing furiously. In the doorway stood a confused and dazed youma, looking like a cross between an exotic bird and a young girl.  
  
"Don't you know how to knock?" Malachite growled, causing the youma to flinch.  
  
The youma bowed deeply in a silent apology and looked at the floor. "My mistake my lord. I came through the wrong door, all these hallways look the same and its very hard to know where you are. I apologize." The youma backed out slowly, closing the door on its way.  
  
Rena turned away as Malachite looked over to her. Embarrassed, she straightened her dress and turned back, blushing. "I'm sorry." She murmured, not knowing what else to say.  
  
Malachite gazed at her with his head cocked to the side. He wondered what would have happened if the youma hadn't interrupted. He smiled unexpectedly at her discomfort and grabbed his uniform top, putting it on with a smirk plastered to his face. As he did up the last button, he turned his amused eyes to look at her again. "What for?" He shrugged. "Actually, I enjoyed every minute."  
  
Rena turned even redder and could feel the heat spreading all over her body. Before she could reply, she suddenly turned cold and pale and started to convulse. Pain wracked her body and she cried out in anguish, a glow forming around her and lifting her into the air like a limp rag doll. She screamed and threw her arms out to her sides and her head back as a wave of power exploded around her.  
  
Malachite covered his eyes from the intensity, and when he looked back, Serena floated lifelessly above the bed. He stood and moved to her side, wonder showing in his face. Slowly, he placed his arms under her and pulled her to him, feeling whatever magic that had done this to her release its hold as she sank into his arms. She lay motionless as he placed her on the bed and checked her pulse. *Sill alive.* He breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"What the hell was that?" He murmured out loud, talking to himself. He watched as Rena's breathing finally began to even out. *That was definitely the dagger's magic, but how was it released? It's definitely not supposed to effect her like that.* Malachite sighed in frustration. He would check out the dagger, perhaps he could find out what was wrong. *Why should I even care?* He thought angrily. But he did care because she needed him, as much sense as that made. He turned to the door, his mind made up. He would go see Navi. She knew everything about the dagger, so if anyone could tell him what was wrong, it'd be her.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Luna looked around Darien's apartment, studying her brief home. She had been brought over to stay there until Serena turned up, however long that may be. The apartment was very neat and clean, not at all like Serena's messy room. In his bedroom and on his coffee table there were pictures of Serena and him together, Making Luna smile. She stopped and studied on of the two that had been taken in the park. Serena was on her butt after tripping over a tree root and had one hand behind her head while the other clasped Darien's, who was in the process of pulling her up. Both were laughing and Serena was blushing, her eyes closed as she giggled.  
  
Luna's eyes began to shine with unshed tears. "Oh Serena," she whispered hurtfully, "I wish there were some way to save you." Regaining her composure, she made her way to the balcony and gracefully leapt onto the rail beside Darien.  
  
Darien sighed and tore his eyes away from the lights of the city, focusing his gaze on his houseguest instead. "Luna, do you remember everything from the moon kingdom?"  
  
She raised her head to look at the night sky, her attention on the moon above them. "Not everything, but most of it."  
  
Darien nodded. "Do you remember how me and Serena met?"  
  
"How could I not?" Luna smiled at the memory. "Serenity had just found out that her mother had arranged her to marry the prince of Earth, and had run out of the castle in tears. There had been rumours going around that earthlings were deceitful and beneath Lunarians, and being as naïve as she was, she believed them without finding out for herself. She ran out of the castle in tears and I followed her to the royal gardens, but before I could reach her, you stepped out from the path ahead. Earthlings were not to know of me or Artimis, so I stayed hidden and decided to watch."  
  
"You mean spy." Darien interrupted.  
  
"Do you want to hear this or not?" She snapped. He raised his hands as a sign of surrender and she continued. "I knew who you were when I saw you, so I didn't think she was in any danger. You saw Serenity crying at one of the many fountains, and stopped in your tracks. It was many minutes before you approached her. You took her hand and lifted her to her feet, letting her throw her arms around you and cry until she had no more tears. She hadn't seen you before, so didn't know who you were. Anyway, when she released you and looked at you for the first time, you smiled and gave her a perfect red rose, creating it from thin air."  
  
"So, we fell in love at first sight?" He asked, a smile on his face.  
  
"Well…not exactly." Luna chuckled. "It took you over a month to court Serenity. She was dead set against marrying you, and determined not to fall for your 'tricks' as she called them."  
  
A goofy grin made its way over his face as he thought about what she'd said. "Somehow, I can't picture Serena resisting me."  
  
Luna began laughing so hard, she had to jump onto the balcony so she didn't fall off the rail. "You reminded me of a puppy the way you followed her around!" Luna sighed as she calmed down. "Always watching and waiting for her to fall for you. I've never seen someone with so much patience. But when you finally won her heart, it was guaranteed it would be yours forever."  
  
Darien smiled, but it soon faded as he remembered where Serena now was. He had been down there for two years, and knew how lonely it could get. "Will we ever get her back?"  
  
Luna decided it was time she told Darien everything. About all the secrets her and Artimis had discovered about the dagger so long ago, and about how it actually worked. She took a deep breath, dreading his reaction. "Even if we got her back…It's doubtful she would ever remember us even in the best circumstances."  
  
"What do you mean?" His voice was slightly raised and lined with worry.  
  
It was well into the night before Luna finished telling Darien about the blade and its consequences, but neither would have been able to sleep knowing what this knowledge implied.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
It was after noon the next day when Darien could no longer keep his eyes open. He fell asleep, and to his dismay, he dreamed.  
  
*Dream*  
  
Darien found himself in a sea of mist, surrounded on all sides by unyielding grey. He couldn't see two feet in front of him, come to think of it, he couldn't even see the ground. After a while of blindly walking about, and thankfully not running into anything, he came to a spot free of the mist and stepped into its centre.  
  
He turned to look where he had come from, and when he looked back, Serenity stood before him, only an arms length away. Shocked, he took a step forward and reached out to touch her. "Serenity?"  
  
She turned from him and walked into the mist, parting it as she passed. He could see a figure waiting for her up ahead, and began to follow, wondering what was going on. He stopped suddenly as she reached the figure and they came into focus. Now that he could see her, he noticed the blood running down the front of her dress, caused by the dagger she clutched at which was still buried in her flesh. His eyes widened in horror and his chest seemed to get tight, making his breathing come out irregularly.  
  
Serenity smiled as Malachite, the one beside her, grabbed the hilt and yanked it out, holding the dripping blade at his side. He was staring right at Darien, and smirked coldly at him as he tapped the blade against his leg.  
  
"Hello love. Who were you talking to?" Malachite was addressing Serenity, but his eyes were still locked on Darien.  
  
"Nobody. I don't know who he is." She answered in a cheerful voice, stepping closer to him, one blood covered hand pressed to her wound which she ignored.  
  
"Well, well, well. And have you brought me what I wanted, love?" He purred.  
  
"Yes darling." She answered, reaching into the folds of her gown and producing a blood splattered silver crystal.  
  
"Very good my little bunny. But look…it's all bloody. We can't have that." Still looking into Darien's shocked eyes, he slowly brought the crystal to his lips and licked the blood off. He the reached for Serenity's own blood stained hands and delicately licked the red drops off each finger. Serenity just smiled and watched.  
  
"You're bleeding love." He said, turning to her. A smile formed on his lips as he reached out to her. "I like that." Malachite brought her up hard against his body before Darien's hurt and horror filled eyes, claiming her lips with his own. Serenity was slowly becoming more and more limp beneath his ravaging tongue and lips, her hand that covered her wound falling to her side and the blood spreading across the white fabric. He finally released her lips when she fell unconscious and held her to his chest. "Looks like it's our side that wins this one, prince." He laughed.  
  
*End Dream*  
  
Darien woke up screaming, tears running down his cheeks and his whole body shaking. "Serena." He panted, putting his face in his hands.  
  
A noise startled him into reality. Searching his room, he found himself looking at a pair of unblinking red eyes. A figure in black stepped out of the shadows and his eyes widened in shock as the figure slowly lifted their face to look clearly at the person before them.  
  
His mouth opened and he finally found his voice. "Serena?"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
A.N: A bit of a cliff-hanger I know, but maybe now I'll get a few reviews! Actually, I ended there because it's 4:41 in the morning and I'm tired. Still, it would be nice if I got reviews, so feel free. Till next time… 


	8. Instincts

A.N: Hi! This chapter would not be out if it wasn't for my editor, who also happens to be my best friend. She helped write quite a bit of it, so THANK YOU SO MUCH Mandy-chan, and you owe me a chocolate milk at school tomorrow. (She made a bet with me I wouldn't get it posted till Friday) The reviews were awesome guys, thanks so much for writing them. Special thanks for the suggestion from Tess, I think I'll do just that. Umm, could Carl P specify which part they mean? I would feel really bad if what they said is true, and I'd like to fix it if they can tell me what exactly it is. Perhaps you could e-mail me, if you have time at silverauras@hotmail.com, or e-mail my editor at usagimamoru_sm@hotmail.com. Anyway, here is chapter 7!  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Finally finding the door he had been looking for, Malachite didn't even bother to knock before walking in. Inside it was dark and silent, except for the sound of something's heavy breathing to the far right. "Navi, are you here?"  
  
A shadow moved on the wall and a voice that sounded oddly child like answered. "I knew you would come." Two points of yellow light formed in narrow slits, rose from the floor and became eye level with Malachite, focusing on the dark kingdom general. "You seek answers?" It spoke cryptically, its voice echoing off the walls despite the fact it talked barely over a whisper.  
  
Malachite stayed close to the door, not wishing to go any farther in the room then he had too. Navi was dangerous, and even though he was a general and held great power, he'd be dead before he could blink if the creature across the room decided to attack. He held no fear of the youma, but stayed back out of respect for her strength. "I suppose you know what just happened to our new recruit?"  
  
"The girl? Yes, I know. It was only a matter of time." She answered, chuckling softly at his confused expression.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She did not have the crystal, correct?" Navi didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "Her magic lacks a focus point because she has yet to join her source of power. Because of this, Deiwos' magic is facing no resistance in her body and is steadily taking it over. You could say it's becoming her, making her an empty shell which will soon enough consume itself." There was a rustle of cloth as Navi shifted her stance, her unblinking eyes narrowing even more as she smiled. "She's dying inside."  
  
Malachite frowned and moved his weight from one foot to the other. "How do I stop it?"  
  
"Where once a soul was lost only truth may lead it's way."  
  
"What do you mean?" Malachite's frown deepened. He couldn't stand riddles, he had no patience for such trivial things.  
  
"I mean what I mean. You wanted to know how to break the curse, and now I've told you." She obviously had no intention of elaborating on her earlier comment. She chuckled once again and didn't even try to hide her knowing smile. "I presume this chat wasn't under Queen Beryl's orders?"  
  
"No. And she has no need to know of what was discussed." He looked at her pointedly.  
  
Navi nodded, although you could barely tell because of the darkness. "Far be it for me to discuss the matter of others misguided affections." She teased.  
  
Malachite gave her a death glare and angrily left the room, slamming the door. He retraced his steps to his room, quietly opening his door only to find no one inside. He looked around in surprise, not seeing Rena anywhere. "Damn it!"  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Darien stared at her with wide eyes, not really believing she was really there at first. She was in her transformation form, only she didn't have the staff. His sixth sense was overwhelming him with the feeling of danger, but for some reason, he just didn't care. He swiftly stood, not knowing what to do as Serena crossed the room, making her way towards him.  
  
"Darien please." She whispered in a soft voice, paralysing him. "Don't fight me anymore. Please. I'll die if I can't be with you right now."  
  
Die? Dear god, he didn't want her to die. Darien almost burst into tears at the very thought.  
  
She glided closer, into the moonlight. Its silver beams merely softening her body into a vision of beauty beyond anything he could have imagined. The sight ignited him. He could think of nothing but what he was seeing, and how much he wanted her.  
  
As she stood over him, with one hand behind her back, she smiled and stroked his face lovingly with the other. He could feel the heat of her hand, seeming to leave a trail of fire wherever it touched. She rose on her toes and brushed her lips against his, placing her hand on his chest.  
  
"Lie down, love." Serena whispered as she pushed him back. He flopped back on the bed, staring up at her through the numb agony of desire.  
  
Darien was powerless. Subconsciously, he knew he was in danger, but he couldn't transform. Something was preventing him from doing so. He recalled the training Malachite had put him through when he had been brainwashed. What was it he had said? Instinct was how a warrior won his fights? Yes, that was it. He remembered abandoning himself to instinct when he had led Beryl's troops to victory. He had let his instinctive use of need bring his power to life.  
  
Serena put a knee on the bed. "At long last, my love."  
  
In helpless abandon, Darien gave himself over to that calm centre. The instinct beyond the veil within his mind, relinquishing control of his actions to what would be. He was lost either way.  
  
Clarity ignited, scorching the fog away in seething ripples. With cold lucidity, he understood. Darien had been touched by magic before, he knew its feel. The shroud over his mind had been shattered, revealing the aura of magic surrounding Serena. With the fog gone, he could feel its cold fingers in his mind. But why?  
  
Then he saw the knife.  
  
The blade glinted in the moonlight as she lifted it over her head. With a wild rush of strength, he flung himself to the floor as Serena buried the knife in his pillow, sending feathers everywhere. She drew it back again as she dove towards him.  
  
"Serena, I'm not-"  
  
She lashed out with the knife, striking his shoulder, knocking him back. "Don't you dare address me by my name!" She screamed.  
  
She had been faster then he had expected, much more agile then before. He gasped in pain as he clutched the large gash in his shoulder, blood dripping down his hand and arm.  
  
Darien was abruptly flushed with doubt. He had an idea, but didn't know if he could do it. His only alternative was to kill her, and he could never do that. The bone-burning torture searing through his shoulder made his resolve falter.  
  
Serena stalked closer. "Transform."  
  
He stiffened his will as he regained his strength. Serena reached out and pressed into his wound brutally, forcing him to his knees. He struggled to resist the pain, but again his instincts took over and he transformed into Endymion. He drew his sword and got to his feet again.  
  
"Try to kill me." Serena taunted, her voice demanding as she discarded the dagger to show she had no fear of him.  
  
Endymion looked in her cold eyes, fighting the tug of panic in his soul. "No." He tossed the sword on the bed. "I could never intentionally hurt you."  
  
She screamed in fury as she landed a kick to his chest. The room spun as he realized he was on his back. Breathless, he again struggled to his feet.  
  
"Use your other weapon! Fight me!"  
  
With shaking fingers, Endymion pulled a knife from his boot and held it hilt first to her. "No. Kill me, if that's what you really want."  
  
She snatched the knife from his hand. "You make this easy for me. I intended to make you suffer, but your death is all that matters."  
  
Endymion stood straight and gazed directly into Serena's eyes, suddenly disturbingly calm. He pointed. "Here is my heart, Serena. The heart that belongs to you. Stab me here, if you wish to kill me."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	9. She's back

A.N: Much thanks to my editor, who also helped write the beginning of this chapter, since she wouldn't leave me alone until I let her! (Your lucky you bought me lunch!) The reviews for the last chapter were awesome, thank you sooo much everyone who took the time to write one up. Sorry for the delay, I haven't been home lately. This chapter picks up directly where the last left off, so here goes…  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
She gave him a gruesome smile. "Fine. You shall have your wish." She stepped forward but he lifted a hand to halt her.  
  
"No, not my wish. Yours. I don't want you to kill me."  
  
She faltered, her brow twitching in annoyence. "Protect yourself." He lowered his arm and his gaze focused on the floor under her feet.  
  
"No, Serena. If this is what you wish, then you must choose it for yourself."  
  
"Fight me!" She struck him across the face with the back of her hand, snapping his head to the side. It felt like his jaw shattered and all his teeth were knocked out. Panting, and in a cold sweat, he straightened.  
  
"Serena listen to me. You have two magic's in you, one your own and one caused by the curse of Deiwos. You can't continue to carry both. One has to be broken. Your own magic is linked to mine, created by our love for each other. The only way you can kill me is to break that link. My life is in your hands."  
  
She lunged at him, catching him off guard. He felt the back of his head smack against the floor, blacking out for a second before his vision cleared and the dizziness faded. Serena was atop him, screaming in fury.  
  
"Fight me, you bastard!" She pounded his chest with one fist as she held the knife up in the other, tears streaming from her eyes. "Fight me! Fight me! Fight me!"  
  
He lay beneath her, unmoving. "No. If you want to kill me, then you have to do it on your own."  
  
"Fight me!" She struck his face. "I can't kill you if you don't fight me. Defend yourself." Endymion enfolded her in his arms and pulled her to his chest. He pushed his heels against the carpet and slid himself back, taking her with him as he sat up against the bed.  
  
"Serena, just as you are linked to me, I protect you. I won't let you die like this. I want you alive. I love you." He whispered, a tear of his own streaking down his face to mingle with hers.  
  
"No!" She screamed. "I must kill you! You must fight me so I can! I can't do it unless you try to kill me! You must!" Weeping in angry exasperation, she pressed the knife against his throat. Endymion did nothing to stop her.  
  
He brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Serena, I've sworn to fight to protect you, to love you. That's my link to you. I won't do anything to harm you. I know you don't want to kill me. You love me as much as I love you."  
  
She almost laughed at his words. Love? What did love have to do with anything when it came to them? It certainly hadn't stopped him from trying to kill her before, no matter how much she had pleaded the same thing he now said to her. "I'll kill you! I will! I'll kill you!"  
  
"I believe in you, Serena, in your love for me. I put my life in your strength and your love." She gasped in racking sobs as she looked into his eyes. She shook as she wept uncontrollably. Endymion didn't move against the sharp blade at his throat.  
  
"Then you must kill me." She whispered. "Please…I can stand it no longer. Please…kill me." Her eyes began to flicker from dark red to crystal blue.  
  
Hope crept into his heart as he studied her, noting her reaction. "I will never do anything to harm you, Serena. I've given you your freedom, you are answerable only to yourself."  
  
Serena let out a long wail of misery and then threw the knife across the floor. She collapsed against him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh Endymion," she sobbed, "forgive me. Forgive me. Oh dear god, what have I done."  
  
"You have proven your love." He whispered as he held her.  
  
"It hurts so much to fight it."  
  
He held her tight. "I know, but you must fight it."  
  
Serena's crying slowed, her breathing evening out and her muscles going slack as she sank into him. The threat of danger was over, and so his transformation was no longer needed and he was once again Darien. He brushed her bangs back from her face. Her eyes came open, her dazed, blue- eyed gaze meeting his.  
  
"You know I can't completely beat it." She whispered, her face a mixture of sadness and pain. "It's not that easy Darien."  
  
"I know." He whispered, closing his eyes and releasing his tight grip around her to a loose hug. Luna had told him everything. The only way to truly beat the curse, was to die. Still, he desperately hoped there was another way.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Rei threw open the temple doors and ran out into the dark of the streets, not caring it was going on 1:30 in the morning. She needed to get to the Senshi and she had to do it now. The only noise was the sound of her shoes slamming down on the pavement as she ran and her heavy breathing. Lita's house was closest, so that's where she reached first. Heading into the apartment building, she didn't bother to waste time waiting for the elevator and instead chose to go up the stairs, jumping two at a time. Shortly, she was pounding on Lita's door, impatiently waiting for her friend to wake up and open it.  
  
The door was yanked open so suddenly, Rei fell off balance and fell into the apartment. Lita glared down at her, putting her hair in a ponytail hurriedly. "This had better be important Rei." She growled, pulling her to her feet.  
  
Rei nodded and leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. "I…came…tell… something…happened…" She was panting too heavily and couldn't make a complete sentence, so she growled in frustration and just grabbed Lita's hand and pulled her out of the apartment, barely giving her time to shut and lock the door before she was pulling her down the stairs and to her next destination.  
  
Ami hurriedly opened her bedroom window, muttering a few curses at whoever it was that was throwing rocks at it. She looked into the bushes at the side of her home and saw Lita standing on the sidewalk tossing and catching a stone in one hand, and Rei standing beside her, motioning for Amy to come out. Sighing heavily, Amy pulled on a pair of pants over her boxers and decided she could stay in her pyjama top before she crawled out her window and ran to her friends. She noticed Lita was also still in her pyjama's, so she figured Rei must have woken her up recently as well. "What are you guys-" Before she could finish her sentence, Rei grabbed her arm and pulled her and Lita towards Mina's home.  
  
Mina was staring out her window looking at the moon while she pet Artimis, who was asleep in her lap. She envied him. She hadn't had decent sleep since Serena's accident, no matter how hard she tried. She was just so worried about her friend. What if she needed them, and they couldn't help because they didn't know where she was? Her thoughts scattered when she saw three people running down the street in her direction. After a moment, she recognized who it was and she hurriedly put the still slumbering Artimis in a shoulder bag before slipping on some shoes and sneaking down the stairs and out the front door. She still hadn't changed for bed, so she didn't have to worry about running around town in her pj's.  
  
She met the group half way and waited for them to catch their breath before she started asking questions. "What's going on? Why are you guys here so early in the morning? Lita, Amy, why are you wearing your pyjama's out in public? Rei is that my shirt? I've been looking for that! Why didn't you tell me I left it at your house? Did you guys run all the way here? Is there an attack? Why didn't you use the communicators?" Rei slapped a hand over her mouth before she could continue, cutting off the endless flow of questions.  
  
"We don't know what's going on, Rei came and got us, we didn't have time to change, I do believe that is your shirt, she must've forgot, yes we ran all the way here, no there isn't an attack, and good question." Lita answered, waiting to hear what was so important that Rei had to come drag them out of bed when there wasn't any attacks.  
  
Rei finally caught her breath. "I was in too much of a hurry to grab my communicator." Her voice was high with excitement. "I was doing a fire reading, trying to figure out what we could do to help Serena when I got this vibe. It was like a part of me that was missing rushed back, making me whole. I had this feeling of contentment, then the fire died." She paused, smiling as she studied their faces. "Do you know what this means?" There was no reply, so she continued. "Serena's back! Somehow, she's back! And I think I know where she is."  
  
The three girls in front of her immediately reacted, eyes wide and hope evident in their features. "Where is she?" All three asked simultaneously.  
  
"We're going to Darien's." Rei laughed, turning and running down the street without even checking to see if they followed.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Serena held her cup of hot chocolate close to her face, but didn't drink any. She just stared into the brown liquid, waiting for Darien to come back with whatever it was he left to get. She placed the cup down as he entered the room, holding something behind his back.  
  
"What do you have?" She smiled, watching him as he moved towards her.  
  
"Someone who missed you." He winked and brought out the surprise, which jumped out of his hands and onto Serena's lap. Serena's eyes filled with tears of joy as she immediately hugged Luna to her, giggling as Luna licked her face.  
  
"Oh Serena." Luna laughed excitedly. "I can't believe you're back!" Serena sobered up after hearing those words, looking away from Luna and lowering her eyes to the floor.  
  
Luna was confused by the sudden change of mood, wondering what she had said.  
  
Before Serena could say anything, there was loud pounding on Darien's door. It sounded like someone was trying to break it down. Serena turned questioning eyes to Darien, who just shrugged and went to open the door. There was a thump as whoever it was knocked him over on their rush to get inside.  
  
Four girls and a now fully awake cat ran into the living room, pouncing on Serena as soon as they saw her. All of them were talking at once, not giving Serena a chance to answer the questions they threw at her.  
  
"Quiet!" Darien yelled, rubbing shoulder which Serena had bandaged as he walked into the room, glaring at the girls which had so heedlessly trampled him. His voice lowered to normal. "This is an apartment building and the walls aren't soundproof." Everyone fell silent and settled down, letting Serena go as each found a seat. Rei was the first to speak.  
  
"I was right! You are back!" Serena's demeanour changed yet again and she shook her head.  
  
"You guys, I haven't completely beaten the curse. It's still in me and it's only a matter of time before it overpowers me again." All of them lowered their eyes, not wanting to think about what would happen later, only wanting to have their friend back .  
  
Artimis sat by Luna, confused by what was happening. "How did you overpower it? I thought the only way to stop the curse was to…" He let his sentence trail off, as if not saying the words would make it so it wasn't true.  
  
"That is the only way, Artimis." Serena whispered. There was silence for a while before the girls started to talk, determined to make Serena forget about the inevitable for now. Each one filled her in on what had been happening in their lives while she was gone, leaving out anything depressing.  
  
"And then he ran over her foot with his wheelchair!" Lita laughed, talking about something that had happened to Amy when the two had gone to visit her mom at work. They all laughed, except Amy who looked angry and embarrassed at the same time.  
  
"It wasn't my fault I said that! He was rude to me first!" This only made them laugh harder. Mina was the first to recover. She watched Serena, happy that her friend was once again back to her old self. Suddenly, she noticed what Serena wore.  
  
She whistled, the kind you do when you see someone attractive and feel like embarrassing yourself. "Looking good Sere." Everyone stopped and looked at her, some eyes going wide. Darien choked mid-swallow of his hot chocolate, really looking at her for the first time.  
  
The tight fitting dress from her transformation didn't really leave anything to the imagination, considering how tight it was and how much of her legs it exposed since she was sitting. Serena turned red and swiftly stood, glaring at her laughing friends. She touched the stone on her choker, which made her detransform. She now stood in grey uniform pants and a tight black tank top with black boots and a black choker, which also complimented her figure. Mina stood and touched Serena's hair, wondering how her friend had managed to braid so much hair into such tiny braids.  
  
"I'm serious, you do look really cool." Mina said, playing with her hair. Serena was still red, remembering the time she had first confronted them with her new look.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
Seeing she had been figured out, Rena shrugged and moved to the Senshi, smiled, and twirled gracefully. "What do ya think?" She struck a model pose and looked straight at Venus. "Pretty neat, huh? Not even I thought I could look this gorgeous!"  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
She hugged Mina unexpectedly, catching her off guard. "I'm so sorry guys. I can't believe I actually wanted to kill you." Mina hugged her back.  
  
"It's okay Sere, you didn't actually do anything to betray any of us." Serena stiffened as she remembered something else.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Malachite." He looked down at her as she whispered his name. Their faces were close and he could see the need in her eyes. She wanted to feel anything but alone.  
  
"Yeah?" In a swift move, Serena leaned up towards him and their lips met in a passionate kiss.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
She had gone much farther then just a kiss, and would have gone all the way if they hadn't been interrupted. She stepped away from Mina, shame written all over her face. Should she tell Darien? Would he hate her after she did?"  
  
"What's wrong Serena?" Amy asked, seeing the look on her face and wondering what her friend had done that could make her so ashamed. Serena just looked at her, studying her. Amy was always honest. She would tell Serena that a relationship that made you feel like you needed to hide things wasn't a real relationship. Sighing, she stepped over to Darien and took his hand in hers.  
  
"I need to talk to you." She whispered. "In private." He nodded slowly and stood, leading her to his room and shutting the door.  
  
The others glanced at each other, waiting a moment before they stealthily got up and followed, huddling against the door to eavesdrop and ignoring Amy, who was trying to pull them away. Luna and Artimis just shook their heads, wondering how the worlds fate rested in such childish hands.  
  
(In Darien's Bedroom)  
  
Darien sat on the edge of his bed, his elbows resting on his knees as he watched Serena pacing across the room, wondering what she had to tell him that made her so nervous. Finally finding the courage she needed to say what she needed to, she stopped in front of him and knelt down, sitting on her legs.  
  
*The best way to say it is to just get it over with, Serena.* She said to herself, more for comfort then anything else. "I kinda made out with Malachite and we just about went further but we were interrupted by a youma." She said hurriedly.  
  
"I see." Darien's voice seemed calm, but inside he was fuming. How dare Malachite touch his soul mate? The next time he saw that scum-bag, he was getting a punch in the face. He was snapped out of his brooding thoughts by the sound of Serena softly crying, completely ashamed by her actions. His eyes softened and he pulled her into his arms, her head resting against his stomach since she still knelt in front of him.  
  
"I'm so sorry Darien!" She sobbed. "It's just, I didn't remember anything and he had been so kind to me before. I don't know why it happened." He placed a kiss on the top of her head, playing with her hair comfortingly.  
  
"It's alright Serena, it's not your fault." He whispered. "I'm just glad you love me enough to be completely honest, when you could have chosen to not tell me since I would have never known if you hadn't"  
  
"But I betrayed you! I would have cheated on you Darien! Doesn't that bother you?" She yelled, not believing she deserved his forgiveness.  
  
Darien placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head up so he could look in her eyes. "The important thing is that you didn't, and you told me even though you could've kept it secret. I trust you Serena." He leaned down and kissed her softly. "I love you." Serena hugged him even tighter, amazed she had such a great guy.  
  
"I love you too." She whispered.  
  
There was a slight thump on the bedroom door, followed by the sound of shuffling and muttering. They looked at each other, knowing they had had an audience. Darien stood quietly and him and Serena silently made their way to the door, listening for a moment.  
  
"Do you think it's silent because their kissing?" That was definitely Mina's voice.  
  
Serena placed her hand on the knob and counted to three before yanking the door open, causing the group of eavesdroppers to fall on their faces.  
  
"Gee, how did you get there?" She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.  
  
Mina shot up, grinning from ear to ear. "You kissed Malachite? Is he a good kisser?" Serena scowled at her and punched her in the arm.  
  
"Mina, I hardly think its any of your business anyway and for your information I-" She stopped mid sentence, turning frantically to Darien and throwing her arms around him. "They're calling me!" She began to shimmer, a blue aura surrounding her. "I'll find a way to come back to you guys I swear!"  
  
Those were the last words she managed before she disappeared, leaving her friends to stare at the spot she had just vacated.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	10. Oh no...

A.N: Hi people. I haven't updated this story in a while because their hasn't been too much interest in it (from what I can tell) and so I kinda lost interest in it as well. I know, sad excuse, but what can I say? My other stories got much better reviews, so I came up with the plan that whatever story was getting more reviews for new chapters, would be the story I worked on more. I wasn't expecting this story to be much good anyway, because the first six chapters are actually a couple years old and I had just decided, what the hell, instead of letting it collect dust, lets see what people think! Don't get me wrong, the reviews I have are awesome and a few made me laugh and get working, but I'm just a bit discouraged there aren't more. This chapter is going to be short cause I'm getting to the end of the entire story soon, so I'm just connecting the loose ends before the last chapter starts to form in my overworked-and-entirely-too- stuffed-with-ideas-and-stuff-from-school brain. *Scratches back of head* Hehe, ignore me I'm rambling. Anyway, please (I'm begging you) review! Even if you just want to say, "God get over it, no one likes this story!" (Although, that kind of comment may make me frown a bit)  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Malachite stumbled backwards, slamming into the wall before sliding to the floor. Serena had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, directly in front of where he had been walking, and had forced him to either collide with her, or change directions so suddenly his balance would be at risk. He chose the later. Reacting quickly, he stood and dusted off his uniform, staring at Serena oddly.  
  
"Where were you?"  
  
Serena didn't want to tell him what had happened, so she decided to do the next best thing. She lied. "I have no idea!" Suddenly, it struck her that if anyone from the Negeverse found out she wasn't completely under their control, they may try to 'fix' the problem, which was definitely something she didn't want to happen. Feigning a look of fright and confusion, she threw herself into Malachite's arms, knocking him back again. "I'm so scared! What's happening to me?" Years of practice made it easy to fake the tears.  
  
Malachite just stared at her, stunned. Something was different, but he couldn't figure it out. Maybe she was lying? Oh well, he couldn't worry about that now, he had more important things to do.  
  
In the few hours he had been looking for Serena, Malachite had accidentally overheard a conversation that didn't impress him at all. It seemed that Queen Beryl had a new idea for attack, and it was going to be played out by dawn the next day. It didn't please him at all that the queen hadn't notified him of her new operation, since it indicated she found him expendable. Being expendable when you worked for the Negaverse wasn't something you wanted to be classified as, since it soon led to being dead. He had decided that he needed to get into the queen's favour again quickly, so he could know the details of the plan and possibly redeem himself.  
  
Despite his wish to help Serena, she was a distraction he didn't need. He still hadn't figured out Navi's little riddle, which was nagging him at the back of his mind, but he knew he had to wait before he could do anything. Unwinding Serena's arms from around him, he started walking and pulled her along behind.  
  
"We have to get to the throne room."  
  
Serena tried to keep up with his pace, but he was moving much too quickly and she had much shorter legs. Feeling the tension in the air and knowing something was up, she decided to drop her I-don't-have-a-clue-what- you're-talking-about act, since he wouldn't notice anyway when he was so caught up in his own thoughts. Right? "Can't we just warp?"  
  
Malachite looked at her and narrowed his eyes, noticing the change in attitude immediately. However, now wasn't the time to dwell on such matters, and besides, she had a point. Grudgingly, he took her arm and they shimmered out of existence only to reappear in front of the throne.  
  
Both bowed low before looking up at Beryl, not forgetting their place. "My queen." Malachite murmured, soon mimicked by Serena.  
  
"Ahh, my general and my warrior." Her voice was a low purr, a slight side effect of the rare good mood she was in. "Times of fortune smile down upon us. We shall soon have what we have been fighting for for so long."  
  
Malachite frowned. "Queen, I'm afraid I've been left out of the loop. What is it that has changed?"  
  
Beryl smiled, idly waving her hands over her crystal ball atop her staff and watching the energy inside swirl in changing patterns. "Do not worry Malachite, you are a crucial part of the plan." Her smile turned smug and victorious. "As are you, Eclipse."  
  
Serena swallowed, trying to keep her face void of any emotion whatsoever. Her voice came out in the same evil tone from the time she had changed, sounding like a strangers voice in her ears. "What is it your majesty has planned for us?"  
  
"It's finally time to claim what's ours." Beryl purred. "Before dawn, we will take the world completely by surprise, thanks to years of patience. Would you like to hear the plan?" She was, indeed, in a rare good mood.  
  
"If you would allow it." Malachite responded, his voice strained slightly to hide the confusion he clearly felt.  
  
"We are finally ready! No longer do we have to send one or two youma at a time to collect energy for our cause, because soon it will be easily accessed. Our armies have finally built up enough to guarantee our success. Thousands of youma will cross the portals onto earth, and we will finally have our chance to attack! The entire population of the Negaverse will be set loose upon the world, with me in their lead of course, and there is no way that the protectors of this planet can win this time!" She began to laugh insanely, completely oblivious to Serena's horrified face.  
  
Serena was barely listening as she went into detail on the plan.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
A.N: Sorry it's short. If I get lots of reviews, I'll make the next chapter a lot longer. Please Review. 


	11. The Plan

A.N: Sorry I couldn't update in so long. I got grounded because I skipped a few classes last week and I wasn't aloud on the net for two weeks. (I'm making a really angry face right now, cause my skipping classes had nothing to do with my computer! Why couldn't they have just taken my TV?!) Man, you'd think parents would understand, after all, they were teenagers once. But I guess it could have been worse. Anyhow, thank you so much for the reviews, and I am sorry it took so long (I hate it when it takes people forever to update. It's so frustrating, especially since the story is usually left at a cliff hanger). Hope you like this chapter, and please read and review.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Serena stumbled down the corridors blindly, moving as if she had forgotten how to walk. Countless times already she had run into many of the youma readying for the attack, and each time she mumbled a few harsh words to them so as not to blow her cover. She had no clue as to where she was going, but she knew she just had to get away from the creatures surrounding her as soon as possible. She felt like she was gonna hurl, and she probably would when she stopped to catch her breath. Tripping into another youma, she cursed loudly and used all the strength left in her arms to send it flying into the wall. Without slowing down, she continued down the hall.  
  
When Beryl had givin the details of the plan, she hadn't failed to leave anything she wanted to happen out. That included every little gruesome thing she wanted to happen to the senshi. In the middle of her speech about what should be done with Mars' insides, Serena had made the feeble excuse that she needed to observe the youma's progress in fighting skills and had left. Surprisingly, Beryl had dismissed her and continued explaining her tactics with Malachite.  
  
She was gonna be sick if she didn't get out of here soon. Everywhere she looked, there was the sight of youma practising new and improved attacks, and even most sharpening a deadly looking weapon. Looking at them, she couldn't help but picture her senshi being caught by a blast or something worse, and that was what was making her sick. After all, she had always had a great imagination.  
  
Bursting through a door, she looked around Malachite's room and finally collapsed on the bed, trying to clear her head of the worry and fear for her friends so she could think of a way to help her senshi.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Andrew sighed as he stepped out of the arcade, locking it behind him. It was really late and he was supposed to have been home hours ago, but one of the machines had started acting up and he had spent the last few hours fixing it. It wasn't good for business if your most popular game was out of order.  
  
He used to take so much joy in his job, but nothing had been the same since his best friend had disappeared. It had been four years since Darien had first gone missing, actually, a better term would probably be vanished. At first, he had just thought that maybe he was locked up in his apartment studying or something – he did that sometimes – but after a week of not seeing him anywhere, he had gone to the apartment and gotten no answer.  
  
Needless to say, by this time he was worried. Using the spare key Darien had given him, he had gone inside and looked around. Nothing was missing and everything was in it's place, even his clothes were hanging in the closet and folded in the dresser. Andrew had just sat on the couch, staring at nothing and thinking of what could have possibly happened. The police hadn't been able to find anything at all, so they called off the search.  
  
Andrew had been distant ever since. Not quite as cheerful and talkative as he used to be. Darien had been his best friend. They had told each other everything and helped each other through hard times since they were in high school, which had been quite a while ago. Despite how social Andrew seemed, his only true friend was and always would be Darien. Heaving a sigh, he turned a corner and started up a path through the park, taking a shortcut.  
  
The only other person who had really missed him had been Serena, and she had taken his disappearance much harder then Andrew. They had become a lot closer since that day, almost inseparable. Like brother and sister. She was the reason he was now worried, since he hadn't seen her in days. He couldn't help but worry the same thing that happened to Darien had happened to her.  
  
He couldn't lose another friend.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
"So what else do you guys want to do?"  
  
Everyone just shrugged, too distracted to answer Mina's question. They were all still at Darien's apartment, at Luna's insistence, and it had only been an hour or two since Serena had vanished. After a few hysterics, courtesy of Mina and Artimis, Amy had suggested they do something to keep them occupied for a while.  
  
Luna hadn't explained why she had wanted the senshi to stay, shrugging it off as 'just a gut feeling', but she was basically in charge of them all, so Lita had suggested they watch a movie to help the time pass until someone could come up with a plan on what to do about their current situation. They had all agreed on a movie, and now were just sitting around watching the end credits on the screen and listening to the end song.  
  
"Well we can't just sit and do nothing." Mina stood and walked over to the vcr, turning off the power to both it and the tv before sitting back down by Rei on the couch. Again, no one replied. Mina sighed in frustration and slammed her fist in her palm, catching everyone's attention. "That's it! I'm sick of all the tension and silence in this apartment. We've all been thinking about the same thing, and it's obvious we will be until our problem is solved. God, I don't even think any one of us even paid attention to the movie!" She waited for someone to speak up, but all she got was blank looks.  
  
Jumping to her feet, she balled her hands into fists and stamped her foot, not caring if her throwing a tantrum was childish. She felt like throwing one, so by god she was going to! "All of us want to save Serena and for the last hour or so all we've been thinking about is how to break that damned curse without her having to die!" Mina was yelling, but she didn't care. She was determined to come up with a plan to save her best friend, whether they helped or not. "The only thing we've been doing so far is trying to forget about our problems. Trying to make it so their not real, just because we don't want to think about what will happen if we really do fail to come up with a plan. Well they are real! And their not gonna go away just because we try to ignore them!" Lowering her voice, she relaxed her stance and sighed heavily. "Serena is in the hands of the Negaverse, and she's dying." Tears welled up in Mina's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "We have to save her." Her voice cracked and she sat down by Rei once more, lowering her eyes. "We have to."  
  
Artimis jumped up into her lap, purring as she slowly scratched his ears, trying to comfort her. "We'll figure something out Mina." She raised her eyes to his face, studying him for a moment before nodding.  
  
Lita nodded as well, stroking Luna, who lay in her lap. "The only problem about that is…where do we start?"  
  
Everyone once again fell silent.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Serena slowly sat up, smoothing down her hair and her tank top as she finally composed herself. There may not be anything she could do to stop the youma army from attacking, but that wouldn't stop her from at least warning her friends and Darien so they could be ready with some kind of counter attack.  
  
Standing swiftly, she ran up to the door and peeked into the hall, making sure no one was coming so she wouldn't be caught. Seeing it was clear, she shut the door and moved into the centre of the room, concentrating. *It's now or never Serena.* Closing her eyes, she began to concentrate, but something went wrong and instead of warping to Darien's apartment she fell to the ground with a short scream, curling into a ball.  
  
It felt like torrents of electricity were thundering through her veins, ripping painfully throughout her entire body and sending searing pain through her mind. Struggling to her hands and knees, she cried out as another painful assault tore through her body. "What's…happening to me?" She gasped out, tears flowing down her face.  
  
She was thrown violently backwards, a large burst of metallic red energy shooting out of her body in all directions. Then, as if nothing at all had happened, she lay motionless on the floor, breathing heavily. As the pain and confusion dimmed, Serena's eyes widened and she struggled to her feet.  
  
*Oh no! The blade's magic is taking over again!* She balled her hands into fists, shaking slightly as an after-effect of the previous few moments. *I have to warn them before it's too late!*  
  
Concentrating again on warping to Darien's, she soon disappeared in a shimmer of blue.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Rei and Mina were in the middle of arguing over who's plan to infiltrate the Negaverse was better, when a large crash came from inside Darien's room. Everyone fell silent, listening for anything else that may happen, but all that they heard was the sound of their own breathing. Darien stood from the couch and motioned for the girls to stay seated while he went to check it out, followed by Luna and Artimis.  
  
Apprehensively, he closed his hand around the door knob, hesitating before turning it and inching the door open a crack. Nothing happened. Opening it all the way, he cautiously looked around the room, not seeing anything out of place at first. Luna and Artimis peeked in from behind his foot, slowly entering the room.  
  
As Darien entered, he saw that the lamp on the night stand on the opposite side of his bed was knocked over and broken. Stopping again, he looked at the floor around his bed, noticing a few tiny braids of golden hair on the opposite side. His eyes widened when a low moan came from across the room, followed by a mumbled curse.  
  
A figure got up from the floor, using the end of the bed to lift themselves. Their back was to him, but he had known who it was the minute he had seen the braids, so had Luna and Artimis. Before the person could turn around, the two cats had already started for them, laughing and purring in happiness. Turning around with a huge smile on her face, Serena hugged both to her and giggled.  
  
"I missed you too!" She laughed, placing them back on the bed after a few moments. Slowly, she looked up at Darien, who had been silent through the entire exchange. She smiled and took a few steps toward him, stopping before she actually got to him. "I told you I'd be back." Her voice was quiet and barely audible, but he heard her.  
  
Closing the distance between them, he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead, smiling down at her. "I know." They held each other in silence for a while, knowing that this momentary peace couldn't last.  
  
Reality came sooner then either wanted, as all of the senshi piled into the room, curious as to why Darien hadn't returned yet. When they saw Serena, their mouths fell open in shock, except for Mina's, since she was too busy laughing.  
  
Serena let go of Darien and gave Mina an odd look, raising her eyebrows. "What are you laughing at?" Mina doubled over, holding her stomach well more giggles escaped. Shakily, she pointed to the broken lamp, laughing harder. Everyone looked where she was pointing, wondering if their friend was on drugs or something.  
  
Amy studied the lamp, then looked at Serena, then looked at Mina. "Oh!" Her eyes lit up as she suddenly realized why Mina was laughing. The others looked at her, waiting to hear her great revelation. "She's laughing because she figured out what the crash must have been. Serena did you fall on the lamp?"  
  
Serena put her hand behind her head and giggled sheepishly. "Umm…I haven't really gotten used to warping places by myself, and I kinda ended up floating above the night stand." The others started to crack up, making Serena blush. "It's a lot harder then it looks!"  
  
Lita slapped Mina on the back, grinning at the small blonde. "And we always say you need to pay more attention to things."  
  
Rei just shook her head and went over to Serena, pulling the surprised girl into a hug. "Please tell us you're here to stay this time." She murmured, making it so only Serena could hear. Serena tightened her grip on Rei, but didn't reply.  
  
"How did you get away Serena?" Luna asked, sitting on Darien's bed. Serena stepped away from Rei and cast her eyes to the floor, not wanting to meet their gaze.  
  
"I snuck here to warn you." Her voice wavered slightly. Darien, worried about the sudden change in mood, wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her to him.  
  
"Warn us about what?"  
  
Queen Beryl has rebuilt her army. They're invading before sunrise." She raised her face to look around at her friends. "I came to warn you so you can be ready. They're crossing over just outside of the city, where no one will notice at first. It's the place we used to go for picnics Amy." Amy nodded to show she remembered the place. "They plan to surprise you, but you need to be there so you can at least get rid of as many youma as you can."  
  
"How big is her army?" Lita inquired, her eyes wide.  
  
Serena was silent before answering. "I haven't even seen them all. I would say there were enough to completely cover the city, maybe more." She tightened her grip on Darien's arms. "Beryl will be leading them, with me and Malachite right behind her."  
  
Mina stepped forward her eyes tearing up. "But, if there's that many, we can't possibly beat them! You're going to be helping us right Serena? We can't fight without you!"  
  
Serena stepped out of Darien's embrace and backed up a bit from the group. "There's also another thing I have to warn you about." When Lita took a step forward, Serena took a step back. "The magic is taking over again. I don't know how much longer I'll be me anymore."  
  
"No! That's not true!" Everyone turned to Amy, most with teary eyes, like her own. "You have to fight it Serena!"  
  
"I've tried, I really have. I'm just not str-" Her words were cut off as a strange metallic red aura began to glow around her, slightly lifting her. Serena could feel the painful rush of power going through her veins, and realized if she didn't go now, she would release another blast like last time. If that happened, one of her friends could get hurt, and she couldn't bear that. Looking at them one last time, she warped out of there before she completely lost control.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
A.N: Well, only a few more chapters to go. Please review!! 


	12. Sacrifices

A.N: Hello everybody. Thank you for the reviews, they were wicked- cool. Well, this story is almost finished. This is the final battle chapter! After that, it's the ending. Read and Review!  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Serena had barely made it back to the dark kingdom generals room before another large blast of energy burst out from her slightly glowing body. This time, she knew it was coming and so had managed to keep herself on her feet, although she struggled to stay up. A low moan from across the room startled her so bad, she lost control and sank to her knees, staring in wonder as none other then Malachite slowly stood from where he had been thrown to the floor across the room.  
  
"What the hell was that about?!" His voice practically echoed, and Serena's mouth twitched as she studied the expression on his face. He glared down at her for a few moments, smoothing down his uniform and trying to get the feeling back in his left arm, which he had landed on pretty hard.  
  
Serena didn't answer him, not because she didn't know what to say, but because if she told him the reason for the blast, he would know she had been cured for a while and would be smart enough to figure out she had paid a visit to the Senshi. Shrugging, she said the first thing that came to mind, making sure her voice was completely emotionless and indifferent. "Just getting hyped up for the upcoming battle."  
  
Malachite didn't believe a word of it. In fact, he had a feeling he knew exactly what was going on. Since Serena had first disappeared, he had had this sneaking suspicion he knew exactly where she had gone, and he even had a theory on what had happened. Her odd behaviour in the hall when she had crashed into him, the way she had looked like she would faint when Beryl was filling them in on their orders…It all made sense now. Deciding to check if his intuition was right, he crossed to Serena and helped her stand.  
  
"You've found a way to repress it haven't you." She didn't have to ask him what he meant, they both knew.  
  
"Not for much longer." She answered truthfully. Serena stood her ground, deciding it really didn't matter what Malachite knew. The entire time she had been in the Negaverse, Malachite had been somewhat of a comfort. A strained bond had somehow formed between the two, but neither understood it or how it had gotten there. Whether they liked it or not, they were undeniably connected and the chances of them breaking what little trust they had between each other was slim.  
  
The only problem was, they were on separate sides of that troublesome line between good and evil. One of them had to cross, and with the way things were falling apart, it looked like the one to do so would be Serena.  
  
Shaking his head, Malachite frowned and looked at her somewhat sadly. His life hadn't been that great, but compared to hers, his problems seemed unimportant and trivial. And now her life was going to get harder. "We leave in an hour to the attack point and your expected to lead behind Beryl. As Eclipse." He truly pitied her, even if she had been an enemy. "You're expected to take out the Senshi immediately."  
  
Serena's face went completely blank. If she used the power she had received from the blade of Deiwos, wouldn't that strengthen the curse and cause her to become that heartless being that had already tried to destroy those she loved? But then, she couldn't not do as Beryl demanded, or she would be discovered and Beryl would know the Senshi were waiting for her. Was it worth the risk of losing her soul to give her friends a chance to fight?  
  
Serena had one major weakness. She always cared for people too much for her own good. Sighing, she accepted her defeat and raised a hand, ready to resign herself to her own personal hell.  
  
Malachite grabbed her wrist and lowered her hand. "You realize what your doing right?"  
  
"I have no choice. I have to at least give them the chance for victory, and if they lose the element of surprise, the battle will be over before it even began." Her eyes were suspiciously wet, but she refused to cry.  
  
Malachite gazed down at her sympathetically, an expression rarely ever seen on him. "Hasn't it crossed your mind that if you become Eclipse and revert to 'the champion of the Negaverse', your Senshi are no match for your power. You will end up killing them."  
  
Serena shook her head stubbornly. "If all of them combine their powers into one attack, it should be enough to knock me out of the picture."  
  
Malachite's frown deepened. "But will they attack their leader? Their friend?"  
  
Serena shook her head stubbornly. "I'll give them no other choice." Pulling her wrist out of Malachite's hold, she narrowed her eyes and slightly stepped back. "I'm not going to argue with you Malachite, my mind is made up and I won't change it. I must give them any chance to win that I can." She looked down a moment, her eyes saddened. "Maybe…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Maybe they'll find a way to get through to me, before I do anything I'll regret." Her voice was hopeful, but the look on her face was one of doubt. Sighing, Serena gathered her resolve and straightened.  
  
She stood with her feet together and her right arm crossed over her chest while she raised her other into the air and tilted her face upwards. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the power inside her needed to make this work. "Solar Eclipse Power," She yelled as a wind came out of nowhere, circling around her feet, "Transform!"  
  
As she yelled the last word to complete her transformation, the wind rose from her feet and twirled around her body, making it hard to see her as her clothes disappeared and black ribbons wrapped around her. As suddenly as the wind started, it died. Eclipse now stood there, a taunting half smile shadowing her lovely features. She blinked her large, black-like red eyes a few times, a gesture that made her seem somewhat childlike.  
  
Malachite looked away, shaking his head.  
  
"I'm back." She purred.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
The Sailor Senshi and Darien, who had yet to transform, stared down in shock at the two guardian cats at their feet.  
  
"I can't believe you just said that Luna!" Sailor Mars' eyes flashed in anger. "You, more then any one of us here, are supposed to protect her!" Luna looked away, not having the heart to face their accusing eyes.  
  
Artimis stepped in front of Luna protectively, looking sadly up at the Senshi. "It's true and all of you know it. She came here to warn us that she was losing control, which may mean she will try to fight us tomorrow. If she's Eclipse again, we must make sure she can't attack."  
  
"You're telling us to kill her?!" Mina shouted, shocked and very upset.  
  
"Only if that's what it takes." He shouted back, immediately regretting his words. The accusing stares were like daggers, but he had no choice. "Luna and I were put on this earth to protect the planet from evil. Same as you. All evil."  
  
Darien glared at Artimis, wondering if anyone would care if he accidentally dropped him from the balcony. However, now was not the time to worry about such things. Without a word, he stormed out of the apartment, followed by four confused and worried Senshi and two guilty looking felines.  
  
The fastest way to get from point A to point B is to travel in a straight line. With that information in mind, Darien decided to cut through the park.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Andrew got up off the bench he had been sitting at and slowly continued on his way. Glancing at his watch, he winced and shook his head, but refused to speed his pace up. It was almost dawn and his sister and parents were probably worried sick, but he couldn't help it. Sighing, he pushed all thoughts of his family away and cleared his mind, whistling softly as he walked.  
  
Voices coming from up ahead stopped him in his tracks. Startled, he moved into the shadows of the path, wondering who could possibly be out at this time of the morning. By the sound of it, there were quite a few people, and two of them were arguing.  
  
"…you two coming anyway? Obviously you aren't going to be much help." A girl spoke, her voice drifting closer.  
  
It was a man that answered. "That isn't very fair of you, and you know it. We merely said it as a precaution. You know we would do anything to help her if we could!"  
  
"If that were true you never would have said it in the first place!" The same girl retorted, now rounding the bend with the group.  
  
Andrew looked at the people coming his way in surprise. Four of the Sailor Senshi were running down the path with a black and white cat behind them. His eyes were huge, and with good reason. No one had seen the Senshi in around two years! What was going on? Looking at the black cat, he narrowed his eyes. Wasn't that Luna? And where was the Senshi's leader? He shifted his gaze and took an involuntary step back when he saw the man running behind them. Sure he was older, but Andrew would recognize him anywhere no matter how long it had been since he had last seen him.  
  
Frozen in shock, he only watched as the group ran past, completely oblivious to his presence. As he stared after Darien's back, he finally snapped out of it and grinned so wide it seemed his face was going to split in two. Without a second thought, he ran after the retreating figures.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Queen Beryl stood before the opening portal, her face adorned with a gruesome smile. At her right stood Eclipse, looking equally eager, and to her left was Malachite, expressionless as usual. Behind them stood an expansive army of youma, so many that they seemed like an ocean of living monsters.  
  
Turning gracefully, Beryl raised her arm to silence the muttered words from the sea of bodies. "Soon. Soon we shall have everything we have ever fought for. The world will be ours and nothing is going to stop us this time! All those years ago, it was the Crystal that had stolen our victory." She motioned Eclipse forward, smirking as the girl formed her staff and rested the end against the ground, making the light glint eerily off its polished surface. "This time, we have the Crystal bearer leading our forces. Without Sailor Moon to invoke the Silver Imperium Crystal's power, the Senshi stand no chance against our forces! This time we will prevail!" A cheer rose from the youma, almost deafening as it echoed all around them.  
  
The portal opened completely, its depths swirling sluggishly. Laughing coldly, Beryl stepped into the black void.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Andrew came to a stop only a few feet behind those he had followed, panting heavily. They had run a long way without stopping once, but he had somehow managed to keep up. Wondering why they had stopped, he moved a bit closer, making sure not to draw attention, and what he saw made him freeze in amazement.  
  
The sky over the field was filled with purplish-black clouds, streaks of flashing blue lightning racing across them followed by booming thunder. An ominous wind had surrounded the area, making the bleakly shadowed plants sway in its path. Everything was dismal and the scene was like something out of a horror book, making his mind reel in nervous fright.  
  
That wasn't even the worst part.  
  
Standing not even a mile away in the centre of the field, spread as far as the eye could see, stood hundreds of terrifying youma. Every one of the creatures was like a demon from hell, most even had the glowing eyes. Well some resembled humans, other just looked like they had been thrown together in a sickening pile of disjointed limbs and sharp claws, complete with gleaming fangs. A few of the youma had large black wings, which enabled them to seemingly hover over their fellow soldiers. None of them looked too concerned with the lightning arcing above their heads.  
  
Directly in front of them, stood three solitary figures. One stood in a grey uniform, his silvery hair and long cape whipping freely in the wind behind him. His face was completely expressionless and his eyes, which were the same colour as his hair, glinted evilly, giving off a light of their own.  
  
Beside him stood an impossibly tall woman with long, streaming, blood- red hair. A long purple dress with a very revealing top hugged her body, and she held a staff before her, the orb on top seemingly filled with a lightning of its own. Horns grew from her shoulders and a large tiara was on her brow, over narrowed red eyes. The sickening smile on her face revealed pointed fangs, almost vampire like.  
  
To her right stood a shockingly beautiful woman, wearing a long strapless black dress that fit snugly and was slit on both sides almost from the hip down. Black boots laced up to her calves and a gold choker with a black sun-shaped stone was around her neck. A gold tiara was on her brow with a black stone in the centre and in her hands she held a black staff with a black sun inside of a golden sphere. Her long hair swayed behind her, styled in millions of tiny braids pulled up into a high ponytail, except for two on each side which were left down to frame her face. Her black-like red eyes scanned over the area, briefly resting on the rolling clouds above.  
  
Thank god they hadn't seen their small group yet.  
  
Andrew felt drawn to the last, but he couldn't figure out why. Looking closer, his jaw dropped when he recognized the face, although the look on it was anything but hers. His eyes began to water and his shocked expression turned into one of despair. "Oh god… Serena. What happened?" His voice was barely a whisper and the words were drowned out in the wind and thunder.  
  
In front of him, he could see the confident stance of the Senshi falter. He watched as Darien placed his head in his hands and sank to his knees, shaking it slowly. Raising his face, he slammed his fist into the ground angrily, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a perfectly formed red rose. Once again, Andrew stared in shock as his best friend turned into none other then Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask slowly got to his feet and nodded slightly to Sailor Mercury, who had said something to him.  
  
Andrew weakly stood, his hair whipping around his face unnoticed. He knew what he was seeing. Looking over to the gathered youma, he clenched his jaw. He was standing at the edge of a war between good and evil, and Serena was on the wrong side.  
  
The youma began to move forward, led by their three commanders. Sailor Venus said something to the group around her, smiling down at the two cats at her feet half heartedly. Lowering to her knees, she kissed each on the forehead, followed by the other three Senshi. The cats sadly nodded as if understanding something, and both ran off to the left, in a parallel line to the army.  
  
Standing, the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask spoke briefly before they also separated, two on each end of the army and Tuxedo Mask in the centre. Venus and Mars linked hands and shouted an attack, although their words were drowned out by the thunder. Red and gold energy formed around each and the gravity around them seemed to lessen as things around them slightly began to hover. On the other end of the Army, Jupiter and Mercury had linked hands and were now surrounded in green and blue energy, with the same affect as their comrades. In the middle, Tuxedo Mask held a single rose, waiting for their signal.  
  
At the exact same time, the four Senshi raised their free hands and a massive column of energy on each end, each its respective colours, burst fourth into the youma's, disintegrating all they touched. The blast traveled all the way to the back of the army, even reaching the ones in mid- flight. As they had done this, Tuxedo Mask had thrown the rose he held directly in front of Eclipse, making her reflexively form a shield, protecting her from the two columns of energy.  
  
Despite the fact they had succeeded in destroying over half of the youma army, hundreds of them still survived, about the size of an entire football field. And now they knew where the Senshi were.  
  
Queen Beryl laughed, completely unfazed by the loss of her once large army, and they soon realized why. A large portal opened and the backup troops filed out, forming into a mass of youma just as large as last time. The Senshi had used all of their energy in those two blasts, and so had nothing left to give.  
  
"So nice of you to join us Senshi!" Beryl's voice echoed over the thunder, making Andrew wince. "But your attempts are futile. You've foolishly wasted all of your power, and it helped nothing." She laughed again as the Senshi once again gathered together, Tuxedo Mask in their centre. Beryl now stood barely five feet away, her two commanding generals at each side. "And for your mistakes, you shall die." She turned her gaze to Eclipse, nodding her head and taking a step back. "Make me proud."  
  
Eclipse moved forward and raised her staff, readying for an attack. "Prepare to die!"  
  
Andrew stared at Serena, his heart slamming against his chest. What had happened to her? What had happened to the girl who came to his arcade everyday for a chocolate shake and a friendly smile? Memories of Serena's cheery hello's and lively chats rushed through his mind. Memories of the two of them grieving for Darien and becoming closer. Like family. And now she was about to kill the person she had wept so many tears for. She was about to kill the people who protected the earth. One thought ran through his head, over and over.  
  
He would not lose his two closest friends in the world. He had to make her see.  
  
Eclipse twirled her staff, causing black energy to crackle around it. Deciding to tease the group a bit before finishing them off, she made sure there was only enough energy to hurt them, bad, before aiming at Tuxedo Mask and releasing it. To everyone's shock, it never reached him.  
  
Silence reigned over the battlefield as the two sides stared at the person sprawled in between Serena and her 'enemies'. Andrew raised his head weakly, looking into Serena's eyes. "Please…" He coughed, ignoring the blood that trickled down his chin and the huge burn in his chest that oozed blood. Taking in a shuddering breath, he raised himself to his knees. "Serena don't…don't do this. This…isn't you!" He slumped down, starting to lose what little strength he had left. "Remember how much you…missed him! Remember…your friends. All of…all of us who love you." Weakened greatly, he fell to the ground and lay there, breathing harshly.  
  
Silence.  
  
Time seemed to freeze as Eclipse stared down at the blonde in front of her. Her eyes began to flicker. Andrew. Andrew had jumped in front of the attack and taken the blast. She felt the guilt tear through her, but then it was replaced with anger and disgust. Why should she care? Was it her fault he had been dumb enough to get in her way? He would have eventually been killed anyway when they attacked the city, so why should she even be wasting time just staring at him? Guilt once again took over as her eyes welled with tears. He had been completely innocent. He had risked his life to stop her from killing the people she loved, but…he was one of the people she loved. Energy began to surround her, swirling in a metallic red and silver light. How could she be so lost? She didn't know what she was doing. Was she supposed to take this chance and wipe out her enemies when they were stuck in this pathetic stupor? But, which side were her enemies?  
  
Andrew's breathing became more forced, making her eyes widen. No, he couldn't die. How had she let this happen? A tear fell from her tightly closed eyes. She didn't even notice when her feet lifted off the ground and her body rose into the air, hovering over the field. Both sides, good and evil, watched in silent awe and confusion, as if under a spell. Even Beryl was struck speechless.  
  
Her eyes opened, revealing their crystal blue colour, scattered with red and black flecks. Her face was completely calm, emotionless, and somehow it was the scariest thing the beings below her had ever seen. Turning her eyes to Malachite, she sent him a message that only he could hear. Nodding, he slowly moved to Tuxedo Mask and told him something, at which he nodded. Both men used their combined energy to shield the Senshi, Andrew, and themselves.  
  
Serena locked eyes with Tuxedo Mask. She knew what she had to do. Sometimes in war sacrifices had to be made. Andrew was never meant to be a sacrifice, and so, she was going to do what she should have done all along. The entire Dark Kingdom was at her feet, every youma, Beryl, and yes, even Metallia. To give all the youma enough strength to ensure their success, Metallia had partly gone into each one, which was why their eyes had been glowing.  
  
Serena was doomed either way. Even if she didn't do what she had planned, the curse of Deiwos was going to kill her soon enough regardless. She might as well use the curse to go out with a bang. Literally.  
  
Tuxedo Mask suddenly began pounding on the shield, trying to break it, as if he knew what she had planned. However, no matter what he tried, he couldn't get out, and that was what she wanted. Closing her eyes. Serena raised her face and her arms and concentrated.  
  
Huge bolts of lightning flashed, striking Serena's body and causing the metallic red and silver energy already around her to explode in a huge blast of intense light, hitting everything for miles around her, but only harming anything negative. The army of youma didn't even have time to scream before they were destroyed, along with their queen, and the clouds disappeared, taking the darkness with it.  
  
Above it all, Serena slowly descended, unconscious, or maybe even dead. And this time, she didn't have the Silver Crystal with her to bring her back to life.  
  
Over in the east, the sun rose to a brand new day.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
A.N: Well?? Well??? Tell me what you think in a review, and stay tuned for the final chapter!! (If your wondering why the Senshi kissed Luna and Artimis' foreheads, it was just to show they were forgiving them and telling them they understood.) 


	13. A turn for the better

A.N: Hi people! This is my last chapter for this story, so I hope you enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciated it, and reading them was fun. Umm…I guess there's nothing left to say except enjoy! Oh, and please review when your done.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Nothing moved. Silence reigned the brand new day, even as the sun's beautiful ray's of orange and red streaked the light blue sky. No animals were anywhere to be seen, and not even the slightest of breeze's made a single blade of grass twitch. In the centre of the somber field, a dome- like shield of blue and red energy flickered out of existence, revealing six warrior's and a blonde man crouching in the grass.  
  
Various expressions could be seen on each face, each with its own quality.  
  
On the farthest left, the Senshi of Mercury clutched one hand to her heart, the other hanging limply at her side. Her eyes were drowning in a sea of crystalline tears as she stared helplessly, her voice trapped in her throat as if something purposely kept her silent no matter how hard she tried to utter useless words.  
  
Beside her, Sailor Venus had sunk to her knees, her hands buried in her face as she shook her head repeatedly, refusing to look up and confirm the truth of the situation. Her shoulders shook as she softly chanted to herself, over and over. Faintly, you could make out the words, 'It's not true, don't let it be true'.  
  
At her right stood Malachite, a grim expression tainting his features. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and his mouth in a slight frown. His eyes where unreadable, but an aura of sadness surrounded him, which would have astonished the others had they been paying attention.  
  
Beside him, the Senshi of Mars stood with both fists clutched tightly at her sides. Sparkling tears rolled down her cheeks, falling to the ground by her feet unnoticed. Her lower lip trembled as she fought to hold back the sobs, but an involuntary cry escaped, causing her resolve to break. She shut her eyes tightly and threw herself into Sailor Jupiter's arms, who held her gently, but didn't tear her eyes away from the heartbreaking scene. She herself fought back the tears, but one or two escaped and finally, she looked away and buried her face in Mars' hair as the two grieved.  
  
In front of them, Andrew crouched, half standing and half kneeling in the grass since he was to weak to fully get up. One hand covered the wound in his chest, while the other twitched beside him. Tears freely ran down his face as he pointedly ignored his own physical pain and focused on the hurt of knowing the girl he had come to love as a sister lay only yards away. She had been so innocent… Had sacrificed so much…  
  
Beside him, Tuxedo Mask stood, frozen. There was a flicker as he let his transformation slip, leaving Darien standing there, looking ten times worse then all six around him put together.  
  
They all were focused on one thing.  
  
Serena's unmoving body.  
  
She lay there, looking almost peaceful, even as the world around her mourned. If one hadn't known better, they may have thought she were sleeping. Darien's heart felt like it had shattered. The moment she had made eye contact with him before the blast, he had known that she was going to do something dangerous. It had been as if she were apologizing to him, knowing she wouldn't survive it. He shook his head, his fist clenching and unclenching. Why had she done it? She had gone through so much in her life ever since the day she had met Luna. Her world had been turned upside down, and eventually had been ripped away from her completely as she had lost her freedom, her happiness, and even her love.  
  
So much pain and sorrow. So much lost hope and fear. Serena had given up everything for the world with barely a second thought, despite the fact that the world had never given anything back. And still, she had given up the last thing there was to give. Her life.  
  
Darien looked down at the ground, his bangs falling over his eyes and hiding them from view. He loved her so much. Did she know that? He felt so helpless just standing there, doing nothing. The sun glinted off Andrews watch and caught his attention, making him shake his head in wonder. What had felt like hours to him, had been just barely over a few minutes.  
  
His face rose slightly as hope slowly made its way into his eyes. Maybe if it had been only a few minutes, there was still a chance! With this in mind, Darien ran to Serena's fallen body and fell to his knees beside her, lowering his head to her chest to check for a heartbeat.  
  
Nothing.  
  
The hope only intensified, and he sat back on his heels in determination. Placing his hands over her chest, he began to give her CPR, pausing between thrusts to breath for her. After four tries and not getting a response, he began to give into the feeling that it would never work.  
  
The group behind him watched in eager silence. Seeing that he was about to give up, Andrew threw himself to his feet, wincing in pain. "Don't give up Darien! Save her!"  
  
Darien heard the words, but made no move to reply. Instead, he continued with new found strength knowing that his friends where there to support him. *Please Serena. I love you. I need you.* He repeated the chant in his mind over and over, keeping the panic at bay as he once again breathed for her.  
  
When he drew back Serena's eye twitched, barely noticeable, but he still caught the movement. He stopped and looked down at her, his eyes wide.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open and Serena was staring up at Darien, the crystal blue orbs reflecting her confusion. Everyone froze, not daring to move, most not even breathing.  
  
"Darien?" Her voice was weak, but the group heard her as clearly as if she had yelled. Their fears that this moment was too good to be true vanished, and joy stole into each and everyone's heart.  
  
Darien didn't reply, but that was only because his lips were too preoccupied with kissing the bewildered girl in his arms, not that she minded.  
  
(^_^) @~~ (^_^)  
  
Four days after the incident found Serena and the entire group from the battle together at the Arcade. Andrew had healed rather quickly, and was now once again working at his favourite job. Malachite had changed his name to Alec and had found a job designing movie sets for horror movies. Go figure. His life was back on track and the memories of his exploits as a Dark Kingdom general had all but faded from his mind. He stayed in touch with Serena, and the two had become good friends, even though their relationship was a bit strained at first.  
  
Lita had recently opened a bakery/flower shop, the first in Tokyo, and was already making her name known throughout the community as the best place to stop by. Mina and Artimis had moved in with her shortly after her parents had decided to move to the states, and she had become a model, slowly working her way up to the top and soon to start a career in singing. Amy had moved into an apartment and was now attending college and majoring in design studies, engineering and medicine. She was top of the class and it was obvious to anyone she was happy with her life. Rei was now in charge of the shrine, and her and Chad had officially began to date. Surprisingly, Chad had somehow caused her to be more patient and she rarely lost her temper anymore.  
  
Darien and Serena were now living together, after he had convinced her to move in, and Serena couldn't possibly be happier. Her life had taken a turn for the better, and for once, she could take the time to enjoy it. Luna had also moved in, though she was usually gone with Artimis.  
  
Everyone seemed to stop chatting at the same time and silence fell across the table, all eyes on Serena. Nervously, she bit her lip and looked around at her friends, wondering what was wrong. "Uhh…do I have something on my face?" A couple chuckles were heard and the group broke out into large grins.  
  
"It's been over a week and we still haven't celebrated." Lita said, smiling.  
  
Serena tried to think of what she meant, but she was drawing a complete blank. "Celebrate?"  
  
Mina giggled and all four Senshi reached under the table. "Yeah silly. We still need to celebrate your eighteenth birthday!" Presents were pulled out and placed in front of a very surprised Serena with a very big smile.  
  
Her life had definitely taken a turn for the best, and she knew with her friends and her love at her side, it could only get better.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
A.N: The End! Review and tell me whatcha think. 


End file.
